Emilia Perez breaks records as it leads Oscar nominations

Emilia Perez leads the nominations for this year's Oscars - breaking the record for the most nominated non-English language film in the history of the awards.

The Spanish-language musical, which tells the story of a Mexican cartel boss who undergoes gender affirmation surgery, stars Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Gascon - who is the first transgender woman to be nominated in an acting category.

It has 13 Oscar nominations in total, including best picture. This breaks the record of 10 nods for a foreign language film set by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2001, and equalled by Roma in 2019.

Post-war epic The Brutalist and blockbuster musical adaptation Wicked follow with 10 nominations each, while papal thriller Conclave and Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown have eight.

All are up for best picture, alongside Anora, Dune: Part Two, I'm Still Here, Nickel Boys and The Substance.

In the acting categories, Gascon is up for best actress against Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, Anora newcomer Mikey Madison, and Golden Globe winners Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres, for their performances in The Substance and I'm Still Here respectively.

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Moore, who has won critical acclaim for her portrayal of a fading Hollywood star who takes a mysterious substance to create a younger self, said her first Oscar nomination was "an incredible honor" and the last few months had been "beyond my wildest dreams".

"Truly there are no words to fully express my joy and overwhelming gratitude for this recognition," she said in a statement sent to Sky News. "Not only for me but for what this film represents. I am deeply humbled."

Acknowledging the fires that have devastated LA in the past few weeks, she added: "This is a time of incredible contrasts and right now, my heart is with my friends, family, neighbours, and community here in LA."

Timothee Chalamet's portrayal of Dylan in A Complete Unknown has earned him a nomination for best actor, alongside Sebastian Stan, who is shortlisted for his performance as a younger Donald Trump in The Apprentice.

Adrien Brody, who plays a Hungarian architect attempting to build a life in the US after the Second World War in The Brutalist, is also in the running, alongside British star Ralph Fiennes, for Conclave, and Colman Domingo, for the true story prison drama Sing Sing.

In the supporting actor category, Golden Globe winner Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) is up against his former Succession co-star Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice), along with Yura Borisov (Anora), Edward Norton, (A Complete Unknown) and Guy Pearce (The Brutalist).

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US pop singer Ariana Grande gets her first Oscar nomination in the best supporting actress category, for her performance as Glinda the good witch alongside British star Erivo's green-skinned Elphaba in the box-office smash Wicked.

In a post on Instagram after the nominations were revealed, the star shared a childhood photo and said she was in tears. "Picking my head up in between sobs to say thank you so much to @theacademy for this unfathomable recognition," she wrote. "I cannot stop crying, to no one's surprise."

Grande is up against British star Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), and Saldana for Emilia Perez.

The shortlist for best director includes Sean Baker (Anora), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez) and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown).

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Who missed out?

For Irish-language rap trio Kneecap, who released their debut album and starred in their own biopic last year, the nominations didn't go their way.

The Kneecap film has been a success during the awards season so far, with 17 nominations in categories at the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) awards and six BAFTA nominations.

It was also in the running for potential Oscar nods for best international feature and best original song, for Sick In The Heard, but it wasn't to be.

Other stars left out after being predicted as potential nominees include Denzel Washington, for his performance in Gladiator II, Angelina Jolie, for Maria, Nicole Kidman, for Babygirl, Danielle Deadwyler, for The Piano Lesson, British star Daniel Craig, for Queer, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, for Hard Truths.

Pamela Anderson, who received Golden Globe and SAG nominations for her performance in The Last Showgirl, also missed out, as did Selena Gomez, who stars alongside Gascon and Saldana in Emilia Perez.

This year's announcement was originally scheduled to take place on 17 January, but was pushed back twice due to the wildfires in Los Angeles.

Winners will be announced at the star-studded Academy Awards ceremony, which is due to be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday 2 March.

Comedian and TV personality Conan O'Brien is this year's host.

(c) Sky News 2025: Emilia Perez breaks records as it leads Oscar nominations