The road to awards season is long, but arguably no destination is more highly sought after than the Academy Awards. And with another truly stellar year of cinema behind us, the list of contenders vying for a nod at the Oscars in 2025 has never been higher. From the hilarious and heartbreaking tale of Sean Baker's Anora, to the long-awaited visual feast that was Wicked, the past year has given us more than enough to talk about on screen — and off.
While there's still a ways to go before nominations are released, the official Oscars shortlist can help us determine which productions are likely to be recognised. So, who will come out on top? We're diving into the films, performances, and moments that could define the next round of nominations, below.
What is the Oscars shortlist?
Before the official nominations are released, the Academy releases a shortlist, which is determined via a round of preliminary voting. It's important to note, the shortlist only applies to certain categories. Namely, animated short film, documentary feature, documentary short, international feature, live action short, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, sound and visual effects.
In order to receive an official nomination, a film must progress through the shortlist round. Below, see if your favourite made the cut.
Makeup and hairstyling shortlist
- The Apprentice
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- A Different Man
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- Maria
- Nosferatu
- The Substance
- Waltzing with Brando
- Wicked
Music (original score) shortlist
- Alien: Romulus
- Babygirl
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Blink Twice
- Blitz
- The Brutalist
- Challengers
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- The Fire Inside
- Gladiator II
- Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
- Inside Out 2
- Nosferatu
- The Room Next Door
- Sing Sing
- The Six Triple Eight
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
- Young Woman and the Sea
Sound shortlist
- Alien: Romulus
- Blitz
- A Complete Unknown
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- Gladiator II
- Joker: Folie à Deux
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
Documentary feature shortlist
- The Bibi Files
- Black Box Diaries
- Dahomey
- Daughters
- Eno
- Frida
- Hollywoodgate
- No Other Land
- Porcelain War
- Queendom
- The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
- Sugarcane
- Union
- Will & Harper
Documentary short film shortlist
- Chasing Roo
- Death by Numbers
- Eternal Father
- I Am Ready, Warden
- Incident
- Instruments of a Beating Heart
- Keeper
- Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World
- Once upon a Time in Ukraine
- The Only Girl in the Orchestra
- Planetwalker
- The Quilters
- Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr
- A Swim Lesson
- Until He’s Back
International feature film shortlist
- Brazil, I’m Still Here
- Canada, Universal Language
- Czech Republic, Waves
- Denmark, The Girl with the Needle
- France, Emilia Pérez
- Germany, The Seed of the Sacred Fig
- Iceland, Touch
- Ireland, Kneecap
- Italy, Vermiglio
- Latvia, Flow
- Norway, Armand
- Palestine, From Ground Zero
- Senegal, Dahomey
- Thailand, How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies
- United Kingdom, Santosh
Live action short film shortlist
- Anuja
- Clodagh
- The Compatriot
- Crust
- Dovecote
- Edge of Space
- The Ice Cream Man
- I’m Not a Robot
- The Last Ranger
- A Lien
- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
- The Masterpiece
- An Orange from Jaffa
- Paris 70
- Room Taken
Visual effects shortlist
- Alien: Romulus
- Better Man
- Civil War
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Dune: Part Two
- Gladiator II
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Mufasa: The Lion King
- Twisters
- Wicked
Animated short film shortlist
- Au Revoir Mon Monde
- A Bear Named Wojtek
- Beautiful Men
- Bottle George
- A Crab in the Pool
- In the Shadow of the Cypress
- Magic Candies
- Maybe Elephants
- Me
- Origami
- Percebes
- The 21
- Wander to Wonder
- The Wild-Tempered Clavier
- Yuck!
Music (original song) shortlist
- “Forbidden Road” from Better Man
- “Winter Coat” from Blitz
- “Compress/Repress” from Challengers
- “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late
- “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
- “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez
- “Sick In The Head” from Kneecap
- “Beyond” from Moana 2
- “Tell Me It’s You” from Mufasa: The Lion King
- “Piece By Piece” from Piece by Piece
- “Like A Bird” from Sing Sing
- “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight
- “Out Of Oklahoma” from Twisters
- “Kiss The Sky” from The Wild Robot
- “Harper And Will Go West” from Will & Harper
Feature images via IMDb.
