Oscars 2025: Fernanda Torres nominated for best actress in ‘I’m Still Here’

Fernanda Torres, Brazilian actress who won the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama film, has been nominated for the Oscar for her role in the film “I’m Still Here.”

Joining Torres in the best actress category were Cynthia Erivo in "Wicked," Mikey Madison in "Anora," Golden Globe winner Demi Moore in "The Substance" and Karlia Sofía Gascón in “Emilia Pérez.”

“I’m Still Here” tells the story of Eunice Paiva, a woman coping with the forced disappearance of her husband during the military dictatorship in Brazil. 

The French film with Latino and Spanish actors set in Mexico City "Emilia Pérez" received 13 nominations for the 97th Academy Awards. "The Brutalist" and "Wicked" picked up 10 nominations each, followed by "Conclave" and "A Complete Unknown" with eight a piece, "Anora" with six and "Dune: Part 2" with five.

Among the historic haul of nods for "Emilia Pérez" on Thursday was a nomination for best picture -- joining "Anora," "The Brutalist," "A Complete Unknown," "Conclave," "Dune: Part Two,"  "I'm Still Here," "Nickel Boys," "The Substance" and "Wicked."

"Emilia Pérez," which tells the story of a drug cartel leader played by Gascón who hires a lawyer to help Gascón fake her death so she can transition to being a woman and live as her real self, also garnered Gascón a nomination for best actress -- making her the first openly transgender woman nominated for an Academy Award.

Best actor nominations went to Globe winner Adrien Brody in "The Brutalist," a 3 1/2-hour, post-World War II epic, Timothée Chalamet in "A Complete Unknown," Colman Domingo in "Sing Sing," Ralph Fiennes in "Conclave" and Sebastian Stan in "The Apprentice."

Zoe Saldaña picked up a best supporting actress nomination for her role in "Emilia Pérez" after capturing a Globe in that category earlier this month. Joining her for Oscar nods Thursday were Monica Barbaro in "A Complete Unknown," Ariana Grande in "Wicked," Felicity Jones in "The Brutalist" and Isabella Rossellini in "Conclave."

Best supporting actor nominations went to Yura Borisov in "Anora," Kieran Culkin in "A Real Pain," Edward Norton in "A Complete Unknown," Guy Pearce in "The Brutalist" and Jeremy Strong in "The Apprentice."

The Oscars' other glamour category -- best director -- brought nominations to Jacques Audiard for "Emilia Pérez," Sean Baker for "Anora," Brady Corbet for "The Brutalist," James Mangold for "A Complete Unknown" and Coralie Fargeat for "The Substance."

Among companies releasing films in 2024, Netflix garnered the most Oscar nominations with 16, followed by A24 with 14, Universal with 13, Focus Features with 12 and Searchlight with 10.

Noteworthy snubs abounded in the best actress category, including for A-Listers Angelina Jolie in "Maria," Nicole Kidman in "Babygirl," Tilda Swinton in "The Room Next Door," Kate Winslet in "Lee" and Pamela Anderson in "The Last Showgirl."

Other snubs included Denzel Washington for his role in "Gladiator II," along with Margaret Qualley, who played Moore's younger body double in "The Substance," about an aging actress who discovers a black-market drug that restores youth -- but with all manner of side-effects and complications. Edward Berger, who directed the papal thriller "Conclave," was also shut out in the director category.

Notable absences on the best picture nomination list were "A Real Pain," the Jesse Eisenberg vehicle, and "September 5," about the murder of the Israeli Olympic team in Munich in 1972 – both pictures have been among the nominees for the Producers Guild of America Award, an honor that traditionally foretells success on Oscar night.

Each category has five nominees, except best picture, which has 10.

The 97th Oscars are set for March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live at 4 p.m. on ABC and streamed live on Hulu. Conan O'Brien is set to host the show, making his debut in the role.

Additional reporting by City News Service.