For the past month, questions have been rising all over social media as to whether or not the 97th Academy Awards Ceremony, popularly referred to as the Oscars, would be cancelled due to the chaos from the disastrous wildfires that recently struck Los Angeles. These rumors originated from a post on X (formerly twitter) by ‘The Sun’, a U.K tabloid newspaper, and quickly spread as people worried if the nearly century-old award show would be cancelled for the first time ever. Contrary to what was popular belief, in part due to the nominations being released later than expected, the actual award ceremony will still be held on Sunday, Mar. 2, 2025 in California.
The Oscars celebrate the cinematic masterpieces of each year by presenting various different awards to the most celebrated films as well as the people involved in their creation and bringing them to the big screen. Notably, the film ‘Emilia Pérez’, a musical thriller following the story of a cartel boss who has transitioned, has been nominated for a total of thirteen awards this year, one shy of the current record for most nominations for a single film, held by ‘All About Eva’, ‘Titanic’, and ‘La La Land’ in their respective years of nominations. One of the actresses starred in the movie, Karla Sofía Gascón, has made history by becoming the first transgender woman to be nominated for an Oscar. Other impressive nominations this year include the movies ‘Wicked’ and ‘The Brutalist’, which have each received ten nominations.
Much like the rest of the world right now, students at Union College are anticipating the event to find out if their favorite movies or actors will receive any special recognition on this prestigious platform. As one of the top films of the year, ‘Wicked’ has been very popular around campus, especially because of the involvement of pop star Ariana Grande, who continues to remain an icon to Gen Z all over the world. When asked if the ten nominations were well earned, freshman Morgan Hendler stated “I do believe it was deserved. The cinematography in the film was quite magnificent, along with the voices of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande which were astounding.”
Another important category at the Oscars is for the best animated feature, and when questioned on which film they hope wins this award, first year Saniya Dixon said, “Inside Out 2. That was a great movie, it was really relatable and I learned a lot about myself from watching that movie. It was the perfect re-enactment of the mindset of a teenage girl.”
The 2025 Oscars do not only have people buzzing with eagerness for what movie or actor will win, but also for the many controversies that have come along with the award show this year. Most of the scandal follows the film ‘Emilia Pérez’, as Karla Gascón, one of the stars of the film, went viral for resurfaced racist tweets and comments from the past, including one calling George Floyd a “drug addict swindler.” Other actresses, Zoe Saldaña and Fernanda Torres, were also brought into the controversy with audiences resurfacing their previous blackfaces from past movies. While both actresses publicly apologized for their previous actions, people were still furious that they were nominated despite their actions, which they should have been held accountable to. Another shocking statement came from the editor of ‘The Brutalist’, Dávid Jancsó, who admitted to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in parts of this Oscar nominated film. This sparked some heat as people deemed it unfair for a movie with AI use to be put against the other films that didn’t use it.
The Oscars this year have not even begun and yet the event already seems to be woven into a web of conspiracies. With all this drama surrounding the award show, and the scare of a potential cancellation, the show will certainly be one to remember, whether it be in a positive light or a negative one. Whether you watch live from ABC. stream from Hulu, or even keep up with the updates on social media, make sure to keep up with the year’s most anticipated award ceremony.
