The 2025 Academy Awards - My Predictions

As of February 25, 2025, I've now finished watching the film for every nominee for every category for the 2025 Academy Awards. This is the 2nd year in a row I've accomplished this feat. This year, the total number of films nominated was 50. What does that mean? Not much. Haha. It just means I like watching films and that I'm interested in finding out what the Academy finds worthy of a nomination. I also find it a fun challenge to watch all the nominated films before the awards ceremony. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 2nd, with Conan O'Brien as host. Below, I provide my predictions with who I think will win the award in every category along with who I personally think should win. 

 Best Picture

“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“I’m Still Here”
“Nickel Boys”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”

Who I think will win: Anora
Who I think should win: Conclave

Best 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”

Who I think will win:  Adrien Brody
Who I think should win: Timothée Chalamet

Best 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”

Who I think will and should win: Demi Moore

Best actor in a supporting role

Yura Borisov, “Anora”
Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”
Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”

Who I think will win: Kieran Culkin
Who I think should win: Jeremy Strong

Best actress in a supporting role

Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”

Who I think should and will win: Zoe Saldaña

Best director

Sean Baker, “Anora”
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”

Who I think will win: Sean Baker, Anora
Who I think should win: James Mangold, A Complete Unknown

Best cinematography

“The Brutalist”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Maria”
“Nosferatu”

Who I think will win: The Brutalist
Who I think should win: Dune, Part Two 

Best international feature film

“I’m Still Here”
“The Girl with the Needle”
“Emilia Pérez”
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
“Flow”

Who I think will win: Emilia Perez
Who I think should win: The Seed of the Sacred Fig 

Best adapted screenplay

“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nickel Boys”
“Sing Sing”

Who I think will and should win: Conclave

Best original screenplay

“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Real Pain”
“September 5”
“The Substance”

Who I think will win:  A Real Pain
Who I think should win: The Substance

Best live action short film

“A Lien”
“Anuja”
“I’m Not a Robot”
“The Last Ranger”
“A Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”

Who I think will win: Anuja
Who I think should win: A Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Best animated short film

“Beautiful Men”
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
“Magic Candies”
“Wander to Wonder”
“Yuck!”

Who I think will win: Wander to Wonder
Who I think should win: In the Shadow of the Cypress

Best animated feature film

“Flow”
“Inside Out 2”
“Memoir of a Snail”
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
“The Wild Robot”

Who I think will win: The Wild Robot
Who I think should win: Memoir of a Snail 

Best documentary short

“Death By Numbers”
“I Am Ready, Warden”
“Incident”
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”

Who I think will win: Death by Numbers
Who I think should win: Incident 

Best documentary feature film

“Black Box Diaries”
“No Other Land”
“Porcelain War”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
“Sugarcane”

Who I think will and should win: No Other Land

Best original song

“El Mal,” from “Emilia Pérez”
“The Journey,” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Like a Bird,” from “Sing Sing”
“Mi Camino,” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Never Too Late,” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”

Who I think will win: “El Mal,” from Emilia Pérez
Who I think should win: “The Journey,” from The Six Triple Eight

Best original score

“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”

Who I think will and should win: The Brutalist 

Best makeup and hairstyling

“A Different Man”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nosferatu”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”

Who I think will and should win: The Substance

Best costume design

“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Gladiator II”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”

Who I think will and should win: Wicked

Best editing

“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”

Who I think will win: Conclave 
Who I think should win: Wicked 

Best sound

“A Complete Unknown”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”

Who I think will and should win: Dune, Part Two 

Best production design

“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”

Who I think will and should win: Wicked

Best visual effects

“Alien: Romulus”
“Better Man”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“Wicked”

Who I think will win: Dune, Part Two
Who I think should win: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Other movies that I thought should have been considered for Best Picture include Saturday Night, Sing Sing, and The Seed of the Sacred Fig

I personally found the Animated Feature and International Feature to be the strongest categories this year. 

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