2025 Oscars shortlist revealed: Laapataa Ladies out, Emilia Perez shines

The 2025 Oscars shortlist is out, with Emilia Perex and Santosh leading in Best International Feature, while India's Laapataa Ladies is excluded

The buzz surrounding the 97th Academy Awards has intensified as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the official shortlist across 10 categories for the 2025 Oscars. This year’s selection presents an exciting array of international films, with strong contenders emerging from around the globe. Among the standout names are France’s Emilia Perez and the United Kingdom’s Santosh, both vying for a coveted spot in the Best International Feature Film category. However, India's official entry, Laapataa Ladies directed by Kiran Rao, did not make it to the shortlist, marking a bittersweet moment for Indian cinema enthusiasts.

 

Despite the absence of Laapataa Ladies, the 2025 Oscars continue to promise a thrilling race with a diverse lineup of films across various genres. Let’s take a closer look at the films that have earned a place on this year’s prestigious shortlist:

 

Documentary feature film

 

• 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

 

Documentary short film

 

• 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

 

International feature film

 

• 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

 

Makeup and hairstyling

 

• The Apprentice

 

• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

• A Different Man

• Dune: Part Two

• Emilia Pérez

• Maria

• Nosferatu

• The Substance

• Waltzing with Brando

• Wicked

 

Music (Original score)

 

• 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

 

 

Music (Original song)

 

• "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

 

Animated short film

 

• 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!

 

Live action short film

 

• 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

 

Sound

 

• Alien: Romulus

• Blitz

• A Complete Unknown

• Deadpool & Wolverine

• Dune: Part Two

• Emilia Pérez

• Gladiator II

• Joker: Folie a Deux

• Wicked

• The Wild Robot

 

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

 

The final nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be revealed on January 17, 2025, with the star-studded ceremony taking place on March 2, 2025. Fans can tune in to watch the ceremony live at 7 pm ET (5:30 am IST) on ABC or stream it on platforms like Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV.