The 97th Academy Awards have unveiled the shortlist of 10 categories for the upcoming ceremony, marking a significant milestone for contenders hoping to secure a nomination. Among those making an impression are Netflix’s ‘Emilia Pérez‘ and Universal Pictures’ ‘Wicked‘, both now firmly positioned for further consideration.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films will move forward in several categories, including Animated Short Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Original Song, Sound, and Visual Effects.
The voting process to determine the official nominees will begin on January 8 and end on January 12, 2025. The nominees themselves will be revealed on January 17, 2025. Below is an overview of the shortlisted films in various categories:
Documentary Feature Film
Fifteen films have made it to the next round of voting in this category. Out of 169 submissions, these 15 films will be considered for a nomination. Academy members within the Documentary Branch, who vote for this category, are tasked with further narrowing the pool down to five films. The films advancing are:
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– The Bibi Files
– Black Box Diaries
– Dahomey
– Daughters
– Eno
– Frida
– Hollywoodgate
– No Other Land’
– Porcelain War
– Queendom
– The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
– Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
– Sugarcane
– Union
– Will & Harper
Documentary Short Film
This year’s Documentary Short Film category will have 15 films out of the 104 that were eligible. These films were selected by members of the Documentary Branch, with nominations determined from this shortlist. The films are as follows:
– Chasing Roo
– Death by Numbers
– Eternal Father
– I Am Ready, Warden
– Incident
– Instruments of a Beating Heart
– Keeper
– Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World
– Once upon a Time in Ukraine
– The Only Girl in the Orchestra
– Planetwalker
– The Quilters
– Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr
– A Swim Lesson
– Until He’s Back
International Feature Film
15 films from 85 different countries will advance in this category. Eligible films are reviewed by all Academy members, who are invited to participate in the voting process after meeting specific viewing criteria. The list of shortlisted films includes:
– “I’m Still Here” , Brazil
– “Universal Language”, Canada
– “Waves”, Czech Republic
– “The Girl with the Needle”, Denmark
– “Emilia Pérez”, France
– “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”, Germany
– “Touch”, Iceland
– “Kneecap”, Ireland
– “Vermiglio”, Italy
– “Flow”, Latvia
– “Armand”, Norway
– “From Ground Zero” , Palestine
– “Dahomey”, Senegal
– “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies”, Thailand
– “Santosh”, United Kingdom
Makeup and Hairstyling
The Makeup and Hairstyling category features ten films which will proceed to the next round. These films are under review by the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch, whose members will ultimately vote on the nominees. The shortlist includes:
– The Apprentice
– Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
– A Different Man
– Dune: Part Two
– Emilia Pérez
– Maria
– Nosferatu
– The Substance
– Waltzing with Brando
– Wicked
Original Score
Out of 145 eligible scores, twenty have advanced to be considered for nomination in the Original Score category. These scores are selected by members of the Music Branch, and the nominees will be determined from this shortlist. The films with notable original scores are:
– Alien: Romulus
– Babygirl
– Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
– Blink Twice
– Blitz
– The Brutalist
– Challengers
– Conclave
– Emilia Pérez
– The Fire Inside
– Gladiator II
– Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
– Inside Out 2
– Nosferatu
– The Room Next Door
– Sing Sing
– The Six Triple Eight
– Wicked
– The Wild Robot
– Young Woman and the Sea
Original Song
The Original Song category sees 15 songs nominated from a pool of 89 eligible tracks. These songs, representing a variety of films, were selected by members of the Music Branch and will be voted on for final consideration. The following tracks are in the running:
– Forbidden Road from Better Man
– Winter Coat from Blitz
– Compress/Repress from Challengers
– Never Too Late from Elton John: Never Too Late
– El Mal from Emilia Pérez
– Mi Camino from Emilia Pérez
– Sick In The Head from Kneecap
– Beyond from Moana 2
– Tell Me It’s You from Mufasa: The Lion King
– Piece By Piece from Piece by Piece
– Like A Bird from Sing Sing
– The Journey from The Six Triple Eight
– Out Of Oklahoma from Twisters
– Kiss The Sky from The Wild Robot
– Harper And Will Go West from Will & Harper
Animated Short Film
Fifteen films will advance from a total of 88 eligible films in the Animated Short Film category. The shortlist has been reviewed by both the Animation and Short Films branches, and the final nominations will be made from this pool. The shortlisted films are:
– Au Revoir Mon Monde
– A Bear Named Wojtek
– Beautiful Men
– Bottle George
– A Crab in the Pool
– In the Shadow of the Cypress
– Magic Candies
– Maybe Elephants
– Me
– Origami
– Percebes
– The 21
– Wander to Wonder
– The Wild-Tempered Clavier
– Yuck!
Live Action Short Film
Fifteen live action films will make the shortlist from a pool of 180 eligible films. These films will be reviewed by all Academy branches, with final nominations voted from this shortlist. The shortlisted live action short films are:
– Anuja
– Clodagh
– The Compatriot
– Crust
– Dovecote
– Edge of Space
– The Ice Cream Man
– I’m Not a Robot
– The Last Ranger
– A Lien
– The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
– The Masterpiece
– An Orange from Jaffa
– Paris 70
– Room Taken
Sound
In the Sound category, 10 films will advance to the next stage of voting. All eligible Sound Branch members will review these shortlisted films before casting their votes. The shortlisted films are:
– Alien: Romulus
– Blitz
– A Complete Unknown
– Deadpool & Wolverine
– Dune: Part Two
– Emilia Pérez
– Gladiator II
– Joker: Folie à Deux
– Wicked
– The Wild Robot
Visual Effects
The shortlist for the Visual Effects category has been finalised, with 10 films progressing to the next round. The members of the Visual Effects Branch will view excerpts from each of these films before voting for the final nominees. The films advancing are:
– Alien: Romulus
– Better Man
– Civil War
– Deadpool & Wolverine
– Dune: Part Two
– Gladiator II
– Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
– Mufasa: The Lion King
– Twisters
– Wicked
This collection of films marks the start of the road to the 97th Academy Awards, with more to unfold in January as the voting process continues.