Jacques Audiard's innovative queer crime musical, Emilia Perez has been chosen by France as its official entry to the 2025 Oscars in the Best International Feature category. The ensemble cast of the film includes Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascon.
Emilia Perez made a strong impression during its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and received positive reviews as well as two awards including Jury Prize and best actress prize for the ensemble cast.
Emilia Perez tells the compelling story of a Mexican drug lord, portrayed by Gascon, who seeks the assistance of a lawyer, played by Saldana, to undergo gender-affirming surgery.
Audiard is an Oscar-nominated director for his film A Prophet which released in 2009. His previous works include acclaimed titles such as Rust and Bone (2012), The Sisters Brothers (2018), and Dheepan (2015). The filmmaker won a Palme d’Or with Dheepan.
France is known to have taken home the Best International Feature several times, 12 awards to be precise, but the last time the country won the coveted honour was in 1992 for Régis Wargnier’s Indochine.
Emilia Perez was one of the four films shortlisted for the category. Others movies that were considered were The Count of Monte Cristo, Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light and Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia.
In recent years, France has faced challenges in securing nominations, with last year's entry, The Taste of Things, and the 2022 film Titane failing to make the final cut.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar selection committee in France has faced increased scrutiny to improve its track record, especially after opting for The Taste of Things, a foodie romantic drama, over Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall, which won the Palme d'Or and went on to receive five Oscar nominations, including one win for Best Original Screenplay.
The submission deadline for the 96th Academy Awards is November 14, and the shortlist for Best International Feature will be revealed on December 17.
Nominations will be shared on January 17, 2025 and the awards ceremony is scheduled for March 2, 2025.
