Academy Awards: What To Look For At The Oscars In 2025

In 2025, the 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2nd. Each year, this ceremony honors some of the best filmmakers in the world, and the shortlists for the ceremony in 2025 have already been released for some categories. 

Below, examine expectations for the red carpet in 2025. While the shortlists for categories like Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Animated Feature have not yet been released, those of other categories have been posted. Before you examine those lists, you may also find learning about the Oscars and their significance in the world of film fun. 

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When did the Oscars begin in America?

All individuals with an Academy membership can vote in any category. Films typically have to be released in at least 10 major cities, which means that limited-release films often don’t qualify. 

Short-lists for the 97th Academy Awards on March 2nd, 2025

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced short-lists for multiple categories. The categories with shortlists thus far are as follows: 

• Best Documentary Short Film
• Best Documentary Feature Film
• Best International Feature Film
• Best Animated Short Film
• Best Original Score
• Best Original Song
• Best Makeup and Hairstyling
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Live Action Short Film
• Best Sound

Best Documentary Short Film

Below are the documentary short films included on the Academy’s short-list, in alphabetical order:

• "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"

Best Documentary Feature Film

The following documentary feature films have been short-listed by the Academy for 2025:

• "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"

Best International Feature Film

Before 2020, the Best International Feature Film was known as Best Foreign Language Film. The following short-listed films in the international category are listed in alphabetical order by country:

• 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"

Best Animated Short Film

The animated short-film category consists of films with a duration of 40 minutes or less. The following animated short films have been short-listed for 2025:

• "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!"

Best Live Action Short Film

The best live-action short film category recognizes excellence in imagery through photographic techniques. The following is the short-list for this category in 2025:

• "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"

Musical contributions recognized on the red carpet

The Academy lists two categories for music: Best Original Score and Best Original Song. An original score refers to a substantial original dramatic underscoring of a film. An original song must contain words and music written specifically for a given film. 

Best Original Score at the Oscars on March 2nd

The following is the short-list for best original score in alphabetical order:

• "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"

Best Original Song at the 97th Academy Awards in America

The Academy has short-listed the following songs for best original song (listed in alphabetical order by film name):

• "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"
• (H2) Oscars for technicians
• The Academy’s efforts also recognize the work of all the people behind the scenes who make movies come to life. Below are some shortlists that recognize the work of these skilled artists who account for much of the work done on films. 
• (H3) Best Make-Up And Hairstyling on the red carpet
• The following are the films recognized on the Academy’s short-list for best make-up and hairstyling for 2025:
• "The Apprentice"
• "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"
• "A Different Man"
• "Dune: Part Two"
• "Emilia Pérez"
• "Maria"
• "Nosferatu"
• "The Substance"
• "Waltzing with Brando"
• "Wicked"

Best Visual Effects

The following are the films short-listed for best visual effects, listed in alphabetical order:

• "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"

Best Sound

The Academy has short-listed the following films for the Oscar for Best Sound:

• "Alien: Romulus"
• "Blitz"
• "A Complete Unknown"
• "Deadpool & Wolverine"
• "Dune: Part Two"
• "Emilia Pérez"
• "Gladiator II"
• "Joker: Folie à Deux"
• "Wicked"
• "The Wild Robot"

Support for times when films provoke challenging emotions 

While the Academy Awards can be an exciting time for film lovers, some films can spark negative memories or challenging emotions in some people. This response can happen with any film, but it may occur more often with dramatic films and those with scenes involving trauma. If you experience this challenge, it may help to speak with a counselor about difficult emotions that may arrive.

For some people, traditional in-person therapy may not always be available in their area. In these cases, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may be a valuable option. With online therapy, individuals can speak with a therapist from home or anywhere with an internet connection via audio, video, or live chat. They can also reach out to their therapist via in-app messaging, which may be helpful for those who experience emotional difficulty between therapy sessions. 

Research shows that online therapy can be effective for several mental health conditions. One study published in 2017 found that online cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be effective for depression, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder, among other mental disorders.