This year, the 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2nd at 7PM ET/4 PM PT1. The awards ceremony will be taking place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and will honour movies from 2024.
The L.A. Fires and the Oscars
The wildfires in L.A., dubbed the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, damaged several parts of southern California (including parts of the area surrounding the Dolby Theatre) and killed 25 people in January. In response, The Oscars delayed their nominations until January 23 and cancelled their annual nominees’ luncheon to honour frontline workers and support relief efforts as well2.
Some voiced their concern regarding the event, believing that it should not go on at all. Author Stephen King posted on Bluesky that he believed that the Oscars should not go on “while LA burns”3. Actress Jean Smart shared similar sentiments on Instagram, suggesting that the revenue should be donated to victims of the fires and the firefighters3.
On January 13, Academy Chief Executive Officer Bill Kramer stated that the ceremony “must go on as planned”, and has vowed to “use [their] global platform to bring attention to these critical moments in [their] history.”4
Racism, A.I., and the Oscars: Emilia Pérez
French film, Emilia Pérez, has received a whopping 13 Academy Award nominations5, one of the few films to achieve such a number. However, the film’s success in the Academy does not reflect the public’s reception towards the film, with some calling it racist, insensitive, and dull with its use of AI.
The film follows a Mexican cartel leader who transitions into a woman. However, many criticize the film’s depiction of Mexican culture as “violent” and the poor use of Spanish in the film6. Critics also questioned the authenticity of a film about Mexican culture without any Mexicans involved in the project. The LGBTQ rights alliance declared that the movie took “a step backward for trans representation” despite Karla Sofía Gascón’s being the first transgender woman to be nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee.
Additionally, the main character, portrayed by Gascón, has been accused of racism after old Tweets resurfaced from 2020. While Gascón did apologize for these tweets, her account was deactivated not soon after. Many believed that these posts should disqualify Gascón and Emilia Pérez from their nominations.
The film also used AI to implement voice cloning techniques during the film’s production to increase the voice range of the film’s title character (portrayed by Gascón). However, since the film is a musical, many critics believe that the use of AI diminishes the authenticity of the musical genre in favour of actors and actresses who cannot sing. Emilia Pérez was not the only film under fire because of its use of AI; Adrian Brody’s role in The Brutalist was said to have been modified by AI to portray an accurate Hungarian dialect7.
An Overview of the Nominees
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
Directing
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
A Complete Unknown – James Mangold
Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat
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
Sources
2. LA fires: Hollywood’s Oscar season turns into a pledge drive | AP News
3. Celebrities call for 2025 Oscars, award shows to be cancelled in wake of LA fires – ABC News
4. Amid L.A. fires, Oscars ‘must go forward’ and will, CEO says – Los Angeles Times
5. The ‘Emilia Pérez’ backlash, explained | AP News
6. Why Oscars favorite ‘Emilia Perez’ is creating controversy in Mexico | AP News
7. ‘Emilia Pérez’ And ‘The Brutalist’ AI Controversies, Explained