The Oscars are coming, and with the landscape changed by the recent fires, the movies are turning with drama. The nominations were just announced on the 23rd, and it appears that everyone is behind Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez Netflix narco-musical. This French-made film, which was made in Spanish, led to an astonishing 13 nominations, just overcoming Wicked and The Brutalist, followed by 10 nominations of their own. Some of these nominations include best picture and best actress for Karla Sofía Gascón, as well as for directing, original screenplay, and for two songs.
Emilia Perez Night-Changing Oscar Nomination
The nominations have been delayed twice due to the horrific LA fires, and the annual Academy luncheon for the nominees was canceled. The Oscar’s coming, despite the difficulties, is a pillar of hope in these hard times for Southern California. This year’s Academy Awards are still on track for Sunday, March 2nd, and will have comic relief hosted by Conan O’Brien. Meeting at the Dolby Theater, the night’s festivities will be celebrating all those who fought the wildfires.
Honoring the work of Jacques, musical, crime, and comedy is based on Audiard’s opera libretto. It shines a light on Karla Sofia Gascon, who is a Mexican cartel leader who hires lawyer Zoe Saldana to complete a gender transition. The film also has a stellar cast of Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Édgar Ramírez, who also appear in supporting roles. The award nominations for its score were composed by Camille and Clément Ducol, with the filming shot in Île-de-France.
More Than Just Awards
The Oscar nominations aren’t the first time Emilia Pérez was or will be recognized. In 2024, at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, it won a Jury Prize and Best Actress. From the American Film Institute also for last year, it was named one of the top 10 films. Also, the 97th Academy Awards lead in nominations, mirroring the Oscar nominations with 13. The Golden Globes awarded it four of its 10 nominations.
These achievements are more than just nominations. Gascon’s nomination for best actress makes her the first trans individual to be nominated. Cynthia Erivo’s nomination work in Wicked makes her the first African descendent British woman to receive two Oscar nominations after her work in Harriet back in 2020. If she wins her Oscar, she will earn the title EGOT, having won a quartet of awards, including Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and the Oscar.
The Stars Who Brought Emilia Perez
These aren’t the only achievements the cast has earned. Gascon is a Spanish actress who most may know for her work in the comedy The Noble Family and in El Señor de los Cielos. When she was 16 she decided to become an actor and earned an acting degree from the ECAM and started on the screen in London working for the BBC.
Saldana is slightly more known for her more recent work in The Lioness, Colombiana, with even some of the biggest hits in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avatar. She is more well known for her science fiction movies, where she has earned the title of second highest-grossing and the highest-grossing actress overall. This and more have won her the title of being in Time magazine, one of the 100 most influential people in the world last year.
Then we have Miss Gomez, a talented American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Some may remember her starting with Barney & Friends before she starred in Teen Idol. She transferred to the Disney Channel with Wizards of Waverly Place and branched off into singing with Hollywood Records. She produced many albums like Kiss & Tell, A Year Without Rain, and When the Sun Goes Down. She has also earned three solo songs that brought her to the top of the US Billboard 200.
We can’t go on without one of my favorites, Édgar Ramirez. He started studying communications at Andrés Bello Catholic University to become a diplomat. When he was recognized for his work in a short film, he thankfully made a career change. In The Bourne Ultimatum, he was a CIA assassin, then went to television on Carlos the Jackal. He was quickly recognized for being nominated in the Golden Globes and the Emmys. Not giving up as the perfect CIA operative, he took the role again in Zero Dark Thirty before he put on the boxing gloves in Hands of Stone.
A Progressive Film
With all these achievements, it appears they would be a sure winner, and it is sure to be a memorable night for everyone who worked on Emilia Pérez. It is also a great honor to be nominated. There are so many magnificent people on the screen who weren’t nominations who might be having long faces now.
Pamela Anderson, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, and Denzel Washington, whose work have all gone unnoticed this year by the Oscars. Despite who is recognized or passed over, our thoughts, prayers, and well wishes of support go out to all those affected by the fires.
