Transgender cartel musical ‘Emilia Perez’ topped this year’s Oscar nominations, earning 13 nods in an announcement on Thursday postponed by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.French director Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set movie, released by Netflix, shattered the record for the most Academy Award nominations for a non-English-language film.It was followed by epic immigrant saga ‘The Brutalist’, and show-stopping Broadway adaptation ‘Wicked’, which each picked up 10 nominations.Bob Dylan biopic ‘A Complete Unknown’ and Vatican thriller ‘Conclave’ bagged eight nods apiece.
Voting deadlines had to be extended this month, as Los Angeles — the US entertainment capital and home city of the Academy Awards — was devastated by multiple blazes that have killed more than two dozen people and forced tens of thousands to flee.Nominees were unveiled in subdued circumstances, as a town that typically fixates on the Oscars race was instead fixated on yet more new fires burning north of the city.Even so, the glitzy Oscars ceremony is still set for 2 March, capping months and millions of dollars of campaigning for golden statuettes.
‘Emilia Perez’, in which a narco boss transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime, picked up nods for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay and best international film, as well as multiple song, score and sound nods.Audiard told AFP on Thursday that he was “extremely thrilled” by the sweeping recognition.The movie’s star Karla Sofia Gascon became the first openly trans acting nominee in best actress, and Zoe Saldana was nominated for best supporting actress.Their more famous co-star, Selena Gomez, who has been criticized for her Spanish-language dialogue, missed out.
Nevertheless, the film easily surpassed the record for the most nominations for a non-English-language movie — previously held by ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘Roma’, each with 10. “I wonder if it’s becoming a trend — a desire to make films with different linguistic elements, unique actors, and distinctive themes,” said Audiard.
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