Amid the continuing of the Los Angeles wildfires, the 97th Academy Awards ceremony is set to take place on March 2. As the saying goes, “the show must go on,” and this year's Oscars are no exception. Though the main ceremony’s date was not affected by the wildfires, the initial voting period was extended, and nominations—originally supposed to be announced on Jan. 17—were : first to Jan. 19 and again to Jan. 23. Presented by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott, the was accompanied by surprises and controversies. Front-runners in the nominations include the Netflix musical “Emilia Pérez” (13 nominations), box-office hit “Wicked” (10 nominations) and period drama “The Brutalist” (10 nominations). Other notable nominees include “Conclave” (8 nominations), “Dune: Part Two” (5 nominations) and “The Wild Robot” (3 nominations).
Every year since 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has presented awards for excellence in the film industry. This year’s awards show, due to be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien and broadcast on ABC (and, for the , streamed live simultaneously on Hulu), will honor the nominated films and their creatives in .
Controversies and Snubs
Taking home the this year (and the most ever for a non-English language film), “Emilia Pérez” is perhaps the most disliked film to have made the list. A musical about a Mexican drug lord’s journey through a gender transition and a new start, the critically successful movie has been widely by audiences and labeled Oscar bait.
Though ostensibly progressive (star Karla Sofía Gascón is the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Oscar), the movie has been criticized by some as insensitive to the cultures and issues it speaks on. Set in Mexico but shot in France, the film was written and directed by Jacques Audiard, a French man, who he did little research on Mexican culture. Though praised by a couple of Mexican , many Mexican viewers, including Mexican director , were with the representation of their country and culture. Weighing in on the controversy, GLAAD the film’s trans representation, calling it a “profoundly retrograde portrayal,” and several critics have accused it of perpetrating harmful trans tropes and stereotypes. Whether for bad songs (the viral “” is hilariously awful), problematic elements or a , it might be unworthy of its prominent spot in this year’s nominations.
Contentions mire other nominated films as well. “The Brutalist” (along with “Emilia Pérez”) is under fire for its to tweak vocal performances. Though director Brady Corbet has that AI was only used to make the accents “more authentic,” some think “The Brutalist” should be disqualified, especially as AI was also used in the design of some of the architectural drawings and finished buildings shown in the film. In addition to new problems, old drama has reappeared: (best supporting actress nominee for “Emilia Pérez”) and (best actress nominee for “I'm Still Here”) have seen old blackface controversy resurface. “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande (best supporting actress nominee for “Wicked”) and Cynthia Erivo (best actress nominee for “Wicked”) have had their fair share of drama this past year, too, for and , respectively. Whether these controversies will hurt their respective movies’ chances of winning remains to be seen.
On the other hand, some potentially worthy films and creatives didn’t make the list. Notable snubs include Angelina Jolie (“Maria”), Denzel Washington (“Gladiator II”), Daniel Craig (“Queer”), “Sing Sing,” Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part Two”) and “Challengers.”
“No Glitz with Los Angeles on Fire”
Adding to the usual gripes about snubs and undeserving recipients, the presence of the Oscars this year is controversial. Despite the ceremony’s constancy—enduring World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic—some, including acclaimed horror author and decorated actress , have called for the cancellation of this year’s festivities. As King put it in a Bluesky post, “No glitz with Los Angeles on fire.” These sentiments have received much pushback from the community, many the fact that the ceremony would support the approximately 1,000 local people employed in the production. Other justifications—distraction from the tragedy, boosts to the local economy and opportunities to bring awareness, support and community—have also been put forward. Others, like actress , have suggested that the ceremony doesn’t have to be canceled but that it should be drastically changed. Arquette posited that this year's Oscars should be a telethon, and others have suggested a .
Though accusations of tone-deafness abound, the Academy board, four members of which lost their homes in the fires, has decided to move forward with the Oscars—but not without modifications. In a released on Jan. 13, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang explained that while they were “all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many,” they are “determined” to use the ceremony to celebrate the “resilient and compassionate industry” and “look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts.” To this end, the Academy hundreds of thousands of dollars from their canceled Oscar Nominees Luncheon to the Motion Picture & Television Fund to help those affected by the fires and invited their members to donate as well.
Changes have also been made to the ceremony itself. In a sent by the Academy to its members on Jan. 22, Kramer and Yang said that this year’s Oscars will “be a celebration of connection and collaboration” that also honors L.A. by reflecting on the fires “while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.” Consequently, the show will bring back “Fab 5” moments, where former winners give individual tributes to the nominees, and eschew the tradition of having live performances of the Best Original Songs in favor of spotlighting their songwriters’ and creative teams’ personal reflections.
With all their strife, nominations aren’t the end of the story. Final voting to decide this year’s Oscar winners takes place from Feb. 11-18, and winners will be announced at the ceremony on March 2, in whatever form the ceremony takes. Despite the controversy, this year’s Oscars will hopefully, in the words of the Academy, “bring a sense of healing to our global film community” and to all those affected by the wildfires.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.