The 2025 Oscars: The Front-Runners and the Films Ready to Dominate

 The Academy has officially released shortlists in 10 categories for the 97th Academy Awards, with the official nominations scheduled to be announced on January 17, 2025. Let's explore the shortlisted contenders in key categories and discuss potential frontrunners, because why not?

Best Visual Effects

The following films have been shortlisted for Best Visual Effects:

• 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

First, let's talk about the nominations:

Some of these 10 films will get an actual nomination while others won't. Personally, I think that Dune: Part Two, Alien: Romulus, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Mufasa: The Lion King, and Twisters seem the most probable contenders for a nomination.

While films like Gladiator II, Wicked, Deadpool & Wolverine were really popular this year and were some of the most talked about films, neither is really the strongest in this category compared to the other films that have really strong visuals.

For the win, Dune: Part Two is considered a frontrunner due to its groundbreaking visual effects, which build upon the acclaimed work of its predecessor. It aligns with the genre of films and visuals that usually win this category.

Best International Feature Film

The shortlist for Best International Feature Film includes:

• 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”

It's really hard to predict this specific category, but if I had to bet on it, for nominations, I would go with: France (Emilia Pérez), the Czech Republic (Waves), Germany (The Seed of the Sacred Fig), and Brazil (I’m Still Here). These films seem like strong candidates based on past trends and the current buzz around these countries' filmmaking. Also, Canada (Universal Language) and Italy (Vermiglio), have strong foundations for a nomination, so they may make the cut.

For the win, Emilia Pérez had a great festival run, was acclaimed by numerous industry professionals, and also generated a lot of buzz with their promo, so I think it may take the win for this one. Or this category may surprise us once again and for my second-best bet, I will put The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

Best Original Song

The Original Song shortlist includes:

• “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”

This category features multiple entries from Emilia Pérez, a French musical set in Mexico City, enhancing its prospects for a nomination.

For this category, I think there are two front runners for the win, either: “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez, which is the heart of the film and is a really strong candidate for the win, or “Beyond” from Moana 2 its really strong presence and the franchise's popularity, is also a really strong candidate.

Best Documentary Feature

Shortlisted documentaries include:

• “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”

Each of these films offers compelling narratives, making this category particularly competitive.

Yet for the win, I can see The Remarkable Life of Ibelin winning this category, as films that explore personal stories or historical figures tend to have a really good shot at winning this category.

Predictions:

When it comes to the Oscars, it's really hard to predict what will happen, but this year some films are expected to dominate across all major categories, which include Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Moana 2. These films have already garnered significant buzz and critical acclaim, positioning them as top contenders in categories like Best Picture, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, and Makeup and Hairstyling. Emilia Pérez stands out as a likely contender in Best International Feature and Best Original Song, while Dune: Part Two is expected to make a big impact in categories like Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography. As always, surprises are part of the magic of the Academy Awards, but it's clear that these films are likely to be at the forefront of this year's race for the coveted golden statuettes. But I guess we'll only get a clearer idea once we see the actual nominations on January 17, so until then all we have are these predictions.