Transgender cartel musical ‘Emilia Perez’ tops Oscar nominations

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.

Emilia Perez shatters Oscar nominations record

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.

Nominations affected by Hollywood fires

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 itself 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.

Its star Karla Sofia Gascon became the first openly trans acting nominee in best actress, and Zoe Saldana was nominated for best supporting actress.

ALSO READ: SA’s Trevor Noah to become the first comedian to host the Grammys more than four times

Their more famous co-star, Selena Gomez, who has been criticised for her Spanish-language dialogue, missed out.

Nevertheless, the film easily surpassed the most nominated non-English-language movie ever – a record previously held by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma, each with 10.

Audiard was joined in the best director running by fellow French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat for her satirical body-horror The Substance starring Demi Moore.

‘The Apprentice’

For best actor, firm favourite Adrien Brody was nominated for The Brutalist along with Timothee Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing).

But in an unexpected pick sure to ruffle a few feathers in the new White House, the fifth and final spot went to Sebastian Stan, for his unsettling transformation into a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice.

The movie has drawn threats of lawsuits from the US president’s attorneys, particularly for a scene in which the then-property developer is shown raping his first wife, Ivana.

In real life, Ivana accused Trump of raping her during divorce proceedings, but later rescinded the allegation. She died in 2022.

Jeremy Strong, who plays the youthful Trump’s sinister mentor Roy Cohn, was also nominated for his supporting role, edging out the likes of Denzel Washington (Gladiator II).

ALSO READ: ‘Moana 2’ becomes the highest-grossing animation movie of all time at South African box office [VIDEO]

Meanwhile, in an intense race for best actress, A-listers Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman – who went all-out with their performances in Maria and Babygirl, respectively – missed out entirely.

Instead, comeback queen Moore, who charmed the industry with her Golden Globes acceptance speech for The Substance, was nominated and is seen as the favourite.

Her rivals include Gascon, Anora star Mikey Madison, and Brazil’s Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here.

Wicked lead Cynthia Erivo was also nominated for best actress, alongside her co-star and pop music sensation Ariana Grande, in the supporting category.

‘A difficult time’

The Los Angeles wildfires have cast a somber shadow on this year’s Oscars.

“This has certainly been a difficult time for Los Angeles, where many members of our film community industry work and live,” said Academy present Janet Yang, introducing Thursday’s announcement.

The Oscars ceremony in March will “pay tribute to our brave first responders,” added Academy CEO Bill Kramer.

The chaos and displacement of the California fires caused could have prevented many Academy members there from voting, Pete Hammond, awards columnist for movie trade outlet Deadline, told AFP.

He predicted the upheaval could have increased the influence of the Academy’s many overseas voters – who often opt for more artsy fare from outside of the US-centric Hollywood orbit.

And it was indeed a strong morning for international films.

Beyond Emilia Perez and The Substance, there was an unexpected best picture nod for I’m Still Here, set during Brazil’s 1970s dictatorship.

NOW READ: Colin Farrell more grateful than proud of his Golden Globe award for his role on ‘The Penguin’ [VIDEO]