Everything You Need to Know About the 97th Oscars
In less than a month, The 97th Academy Awards, AKA The 97th Oscars, will celebrate the best feature films and short films released in 2024. So, what do you need to know before the movie industry's biggest night?
What Are My Plans for the 97th Oscars?
I will not be covering the ceremony as a member of the press. Still, I'll post my picks for Oscar winners on the 11th for Patrons, have my predictions for Patrons on the 17th, and have a podcast episode on the 28th discussing the awards race alongside the winners shortly after the 97th Oscars ceremony has concluded.
A Look Back at the Road to the 97th Oscars
Before we get into the excitement of the upcoming end of this awards season, let's take a quick look back at some of the events that have shaped this year's awards season:
April 22nd, 2024: The Academy approves the rules & regulations for the 97th Oscars.
June 25th, 2024: AMPAS invited 487 artists and executives to join.
October 28th, 2024: Raj Kapoor returns as executive producer and showrunner, Katy Mullan as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton as director of the 97th Oscars.
November 15th, 2024: Conan O'Brien is officially announced as the host for the 97th Oscars.
November 21st, 2024: The Academy releases the lists of eligible films in the Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, and International Feature Film categories.
December 17th, 2024: The shortlists for several categories, including Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound, and Visual Effects, are revealed.
January 13th, 2025: The Academy extends the nominations voting period through January 17th, reschedules the nominations announcement for January 23rd, cancels the Oscars Nominees Luncheon, and will hold the Scientific and Technical Awards at a date to be determined due to the impact of the Los Angeles-area fires. Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang announced the nominations. The 97th Academy Awards will move forward despite the devastating Los Angeles fires, which have affected the awards season schedule.
February 3rd, 2025: The 97th Oscars production team was announced.
Rob Paine - returning co-executive producer
Taryn Hurd and Sarah Levine Hall - returning producers
Mandy Moore - returning supervising choreographer
Bob Dickinson and Noah Mitz - returning lighting designers
Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney - first-time producers
Writers - Amberia Allen, José Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Berkley Johnson, Ian Karmel, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Agathe Panaretos and Mike Sweeney.
February 5th, 2025: The Academy has announced that last year's acting winners—Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Emma Stone—will present awards at this year's ceremony.
February 10th, 2025: The final nominations list for the Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature Film, and Best Picture categories was determined.
February 11th, 2025: The second wave of presenters—Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and Bowen Yang—were announced.
February 13th, 2025: The Governors Ball, the Academy's post-Oscars celebration, will return for its 66th year immediately after the 97th Oscars. Wolfgang Punk will cater the event, and mixologist Charles Joly will serve signature cocktails. Clarendelle and Domaine Clarence Dillon's red and white wines will be available, and Champagne Lallier will also be available.
February 19th, 2025: The third wave of presenters—Alwyn, Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, Ana de Armas, Lily-Rose Depp, Selena Gomez, Goldie Hawn, Connie Nielsen, Ben Stiller, and Oprah Winfrey—was announced.
February 24th, 2024: Doja Cat, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, LISA of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, and RAYE were announced as performers for the 97th Oscar, as well as the Los Angeles Master Chora in a special appearance.
February 25th, 2024: Multi-hyphenate Julianne Hough and television personality Jesse Palmer have been announced as the hosts of The Oscars® Red Carpet Show, the official lead-in to the 97th Oscars on Sunday, March 2, airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on ABC. This marks Palmer's first time hosting the show, while Hough returns for her second consecutive year. The 30-minute special will showcase Oscar® nominees, performers, and presenters, providing a multi-view experience of the red carpet arrivals and capturing every can't-miss moment from Hollywood’s biggest celebration. Additionally, ABC News will provide live coverage of The Oscars, beginning on Good Morning America on Wednesday, February 26, with Lara Spencer in Los Angeles. On Friday, February 28, Spencer will be accompanied by ABC News chief international correspondent James Longman and other special guests throughout the morning broadcast. Their coverage will continue that afternoon on GMA3: What You Need to Know. Later that evening, GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts will host the primetime special Countdown to the Oscars with Robin Roberts: A Special Edition of 20/20, featuring interviews with Oscar nominees as well as first-time host Conan O’Brien. Following that, ABC News Live will take over coverage of the 97th Oscars throughout the weekend. On Sunday, March 2, ABC News Live Prime anchor and World News Tonight Sunday anchor Linsey Davis, Good Morning America Saturday and Sunday co-anchor and World News Tonight Saturday anchor Whit Johnson, along with ABC News correspondent Chris Connelly, KABC-TV entertainment reporter George Pennacchio, and Variety’s chief awards editor Clayton Davis, will co-host On the Red Carpet at the Oscars on ABC and ABC News Live. On Monday, March 3, Live with Kelly and Mark will broadcast live from the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood with After the Oscars Show, highlighting the best moments and biggest winners from the 97th Oscars ceremony.
Key Dates & Timeline
The Academy has revealed an exciting schedule leading up to the ceremony. Here’s a rundown of the most important dates for the 97th Oscars:
Final Voting Begins: Tuesday, February 11th, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT.
Final Voting Ends: Tuesday, February 18th, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT
Scientific and Technical Awards: (Date TBA; check for updates)
The 97th Oscars Ceremony: Sunday, March 2nd, 2025, at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST
All dates are subject to change, so check back as the season progresses.
What’s New This Year?
This year, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has introduced several significant changes to the awards process, aiming to keep it fresh and relevant.
Expanded Theatrical Eligibility
No More Drive-Ins: Films released exclusively in drive-in theaters will no longer qualify—a change you'll remember was introduced during the pandemic to allow for a broader range of films to be nominated.
New Qualifying City: In addition to Los Angeles County, New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, and Atlanta, Dallas–Fort Worth has been added as a qualifying metropolitan area.
Expanded Run Requirement: For a film to be considered for Best Picture, after its initial one-week theatrical release, it must complete an expanded run (seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive) in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets within 45 days of its release.
International Market Expansion: Releases from outside the United States can now count toward two of these 10 markets if they rank among the top 15 international theatrical territories.
Inclusion Standards (RAISE)
Films campaigning for Best Picture consideration must now also submit a confidential Academy Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry (RAISE) form. To qualify, the film must meet at least two of the four established standards related to on‑screen representation, creative leadership, industry access, and audience development.
Best Original Score Updates
Up to three composers can now each receive an individual statuette (previously, composers had to submit as a group). The definition of a "group" is now limited to bands, and the category's shortlist has been increased from 15 to 20 titles.
Additional Tweaks
Animated/International Crossover: Animated features submitted in the International Feature Film category are also eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category as long as they satisfy both sets of criteria.
Writing Categories: A final shooting script is now required upon submission.
Testimonial Awards: The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award will now be presented as an Oscar statuette, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award’s criteria have been redefined.
Scientific & Technical Awards: Two special awards have been renamed—the Gordon E. Sawyer Award is now the “Scientific and Technical Lifetime Achievement Award,” and the John A. Bonner Award is now the “Scientific and Technical Service Award.”
For the complete list of rules and campaign promotional regulations, visit oscars.org/rules.
Meet the Production Team & Host
This year, Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan return to helm the production along with co-executive producer Rob Paine, Taryn Hurd, and Sarah Levine Hall as producers, supervising choreographer Mandy Moore and lighting designers Bob Dickinson and Noah Mitz. Producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney join the team for the first time. Writers for this year’s show include Amberia Allen, José Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Berkley Johnson, Ian Karmel, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Agathe Panaretos and Mike Sweeney.
The show’s production team includes director Hamish Hamilton, production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, and music director Michael Bearden.
The legendary comedian, late-night talk show host, and podcaster Conan O'Brien will host the Oscars for the first time, which can only mean that this year's ceremony will be as manically off-the-rails, witty and hilarious as he is. O'Brien's brand of self-deprecating humor and willingness to embrace the absurd is a departure from recent hosts, promising a fresh and potentially chaotic energy to the proceedings. Conan quipped in response to his hosting announcement, "America demanded it, and now it's happening: Taco Bell's new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I'm hosting the Oscars."
How to Watch The 97th Oscars
For the first time, the 97th Oscars ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC and streamed on Hulu. International viewers can check with local broadcasters, as the event will be available in over 200 territories worldwide.
The red carpet coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the main ceremony will start at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Nominees
Best Picture
ANORA
Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker, Producers
THE BRUTALIST
Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim and Brady Corbet, Producers
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Fred Berger, James Mangold, and Alex Heineman, Producers
CONCLAVE
Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, and Michael A. Jackman, Producers
DUNE: PART TWO
Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve, Producers
EMILIA PÉREZ
Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard, Producers
I'M STILL HERE
Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira, Producers
NICKEL BOYS
Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Joslyn Barnes, Producers
THE SUBSTANCE
Coralie Fargeat and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Producers
WICKED
Marc Platt, Producer
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody in THE BRUTALIST
Timothée Chalamet in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Colman Domingo in SING SING
Ralph Fiennes in CONCLAVE
Sebastian Stan in THE APPRENTICE
Actor in a Supporting Role
Yura Borisov in ANORA
Kieran Culkin in A REAL PAIN
Edward Norton in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Guy Pearce in THE BRUTALIST
Jeremy Strong in THE APPRENTICE
Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo in WICKED
Karla Sofía Gascón in EMILIA PÉREZ
Mikey Madison in ANORA
Demi Moore in THE SUBSTANCE
Fernanda Torres in I'M STILL HERE
Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Ariana Grande in WICKED
Felicity Jones in THE BRUTALIST
Isabella Rossellini in CONCLAVE
Zoe Saldaña in EMILIA PÉREZ
Animated Feature Film
FLOW
Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman
INSIDE OUT 2
Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, and Richard Beek
THE WILD ROBOT
Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann
Animated Short Film
BEAUTIFUL MEN
Nicolas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande
IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS
Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
MAGIC CANDIES
Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio
WANDER TO WONDER
Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper
YUCK!
Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet
Cinematography
THE BRUTALIST
Lol Crawley
DUNE: PART TWO
Greig Fraser
EMILIA PÉREZ
Paul Guilhaume
MARIA
Ed Lachman
NOSFERATU
Jarin Blaschke
Costume Design
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Arianne Phillips
CONCLAVE
Lisy Christl
GLADIATOR II
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
NOSFERATU
Linda Muir
WICKED
Paul Tazewell
Directing
ANORA
Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
Brady Corbet
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
James Mangold
EMILIA PÉREZ
Jacques Audiard
THE SUBSTANCE
Coralie Fargeat
Documentary Feature Film
BLACK BOX DIARIES
Shiori Ito, Eric Nyari and Hanna Aqvilin
NO OTHER LAND
Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
PORCELAIN WAR
Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska and Paula DuPre' Pesmen
SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ETAT
Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius and Rémi Grellety
SUGARCANE
Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, and Kellen Quinn
Documentary Short Film
DEATH BY NUMBERS
Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard
I AM READY, WARDEN
Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp
INCIDENT
Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven
INSTRUMENTS OF A BEATING HEART
Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari
THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA
Molly O'Brien and Lisa Remington
Film Editing
ANORA
Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
David Jancso
CONCLAVE
Nick Emerson
EMILIA PÉREZ
Juliette Welfling
WICKED
Myron Kerstein
International Feature Film
I'M STILL HERE
Brazil
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
Denmark
EMILIA PÉREZ
France
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG
Germany
FLOW
Latvia
Makeup and Hairstyling
A DIFFERENT MAN
Mike Marino, David Presto, and Crystal Jurado
EMILIA PÉREZ
Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
NOSFERATU
David White, Traci Loader, and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
THE SUBSTANCE
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
WICKED
Frances Hannon, Laura Blount, and Sarah Nuth
Music (Original Score)
THE BRUTALIST
Daniel Blumberg
CONCLAVE
Volker Bertelmann
EMILIA PÉREZ
Clément Ducol and Camille
WICKED
John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
THE WILD ROBOT
Kris Bowers
Music (Original Song)
"El Mal" from EMILIA PÉREZ
Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
"The Journey" from THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
"Like A Bird" from SING SING
Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
"Mi Camino" from EMILIA PÉREZ
Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
"Never Too Late" from ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE
Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
Production Design
THE BRUTALIST
Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
CONCLAVE
Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
DUNE: PART TWO
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
NOSFERATU
Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
WICKED
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Live Action Short Film
A LIEN
Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz
ANUJA
Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai
I'M NOT A ROBOT
Victoria Warmerdam and Trent
THE LAST RANGER
Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw
THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT
Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek
Sound
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco
DUNE: PART TWO
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill
EMILIA PÉREZ
Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta
WICKED
Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis
THE WILD ROBOT
Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo, and Leff Lefferts
Visual Effects
ALIEN: ROMULUS
Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan
BETTER MAN
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, and Peter Stubbs
DUNE: PART TWO
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, and Rodney Burke
WICKED
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk, and Paul Corbould
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
CONCLAVE
Screenplay by Peter Straughan
EMILIA PÉREZ
Screenplay by Jacques Audiard In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius, and Nicolas Livecchi
NICKEL BOYS
Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
SING SING
Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John "Divine G" Whitfield
Writing (Original Screenplay)
ANORA
Written by Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
A REAL PAIN
Written by Jesse Eisenberg
SEPTEMBER 5
Written by Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David
THE SUBSTANCE
Written by Coralie Fargeat
Where to Watch the Nominees
Alien: Romulus - Hulu
Anora - available to rent or own on demand
The Apprentice - available to rent or own on demand
Better Man - Available to rent or own on demand February 11th.
Black Box Diaries - Paramount+
The Brutalist - in theaters
A Complete Unknown - in theaters
Conclave - Peacock
A Different Man - Max
Elton John: Never Too Late - Disney+
Emilia Pérez - Netflix
Flow - available to rent or own on demand
The Girl with the Needle - MUBI
Gladiator II - Paramount+
I'm Still Here - in theaters now
Inside Out 2 - Disney+
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - Hulu
Maria - Netflix
Memoir of a Snail - AMC+
Nickel Boys - in theaters now, coming to MGM+ on February 28th
No Other Land - in theaters
Nosferatu - In theaters now and available on demand
Porcelain War - in theaters now
A Real Pain - Hulu
The Seed of the Sacred Fig - in theaters now
September 5 - In theaters now and available on demand
Sing Sing - available to rent or own on demand
The Six Triple Eight - Netflix
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat - Kino Film Collection and on-demand
The Substance - MUBI
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl - Netflix
Wicked - available to rent or own on demand, coming soon to Peacock
The Wild Robot - Peacock
How to Make Your Predictions
Download the official Oscars ballot (provided by ABC), watch the nominees above (to the best of your ability), and play along during the ceremony!
Notable Milestones
Emilia Pérez leads the pack with a record-breaking 13 nominations, making history for a non‑English-language film.
The Brutalist and Wicked follow closely with 10 nods each.
Emilia Pérez and I'm Still Here are the only 10th and 11th non-English-language films nominated for Best Picture and Best International Feature Film in the same year.
I'm Still Here is the first Portuguese-language film nominated for Best Picture.
Flow became the first Latvian-produced film to earn multiple nominations (Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature Film), the second animated film after Flee.
Memoir of a Snail is the second R-rated animated film nominated for Best Animated Feature since Anomalisa, another stop-motion animated film.
13 actors are first-time nominees (Monica Barbaro, Yura Borisov, Kieran Culkin, Karla Sofía Gascón, Ariana Grande, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, Guy Pearce, Isabella Rossellini, Zoe Saldaña, Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Fernanda Torres).
For the first time since 1978, all Best Actress nominees' films are nominated for Best Picture.
At 29 years old, Timothée Chalamet is now the youngest two‑time Best Actor nominee since James Dean.
Fernanda Torres is the second Brazillian actor nominated for Best Actress (the first was her mother in 1999).
Both Jacques Audiard and Sean Baker received four nominations, becoming the 8th and 9th individuals to do so in a single year.
The Best Director nominees-Audiard, Baker, Brady Corbet, Fargeat, and James Mangold-are all first-time nominees in the category, the first to do so since 1998.
Coralie Fargaet (The Substance) is the 9th woman to be nominated for Best Director.
Sound mixer Andy Nelson became the second most Oscar-nominated living person with 25 nominations, second only to John Williams, who has 54 for the most nominations for a living person.
Final Thoughts
As the March 2nd ceremony draws nearer, keep an eye out for last-minute news, predictions, and reviews.
Until next time!
