Ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards, Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” which showcases a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery, leads the night with 13 nods.
“Emilia Pérez” matched “Oppenheimer’s” 13 Oscar nominations in 2024. The movie also set the record for most nominations for a non-English language movie.The musical-turned-movie stars Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramirez.The movie is nominated for the biggest award of the night: best picture.“Emilia Pérez” is also nominated for best director, best actress, best supporting actress, best adaptive screenplay, best makeup and hairstyling, best original score, best cinematography, best film editing, best international feature film and best sound.On Feb. 23, Saldana took home the SAG Award for her role as Rita in “Emilia Pérez.”“I am proud to be a part of a union that allows me to be who I am,” Saldana said in her acceptance speech. “I’ve never been questioned where I come from or judged for how I speak or what my pronouns are. Everyone has the right to be who they are.“‘Emilia Pérez’ is about truth and love and us actors really have to tell stories that are thought-provoking and beautiful and live within the spectrum of artistic freedom,” she added. .