On March 2nd, the world’s biggest movie stars and creatives will convene at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards Ceremony. The biggest night in Hollywood will be hosted by Conan O’Brien, and will begin airing at 7 PM ET. In recent years, the Oscars have proven to be as much a platform for controversy as they are a celebration of film. There has been no shortage of drama, from “La La Land” being mistakenly announced as the Best Picture in 2017, to Will Smith physically assaulting Chris Rock in 2022. This year is priming to be no different. The drama has already begun with the nominations announcement. Here’s a look at the biggest snub, surprise, and scandal heading into the 2025 Oscars.

“Sing Sing” Snubbed in Two Categories: The academy has turned its back on authentic, uplifting, creative storytelling. Colman Domingo has been nominated for best actor, but “Sing Sing” deserves representation in the best picture and best supporting actor categories. When the credits roll on “Sing Sing,” revealing the majority of the actors to have played themselves, the film cements itself as a cinematic achievement. 

The story is about a Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program at Sing Sing correctional facility, a maximum-security prison in New York state. Throughout the film, a group of men who are struggling to find purpose in a freedomless life learn to open up through theater. Viewers follow the main character, Divine G (Colman Domingo), on a roller-coaster ride of optimism and hopelessness as he fights for his appeal. He uses the RTA program as a way to cope with the harsh reality of being locked up for a crime he did not commit. A film about the power of the arts, and specifically acting, seems like it would have been the perfect opportunity for Hollywood to celebrate itself on Oscar night. 

“Sing Sing” is considered the biggest best picture snub for more than just its message; it is widely appreciated as a terrific movie. The film’s use of handheld cameras, along with its minimalist color schemes, give the film a beautiful yet realistic and intimate feel to it. Yet the acting is perhaps even more important, specifically that of Clarence Maclin. “Remember that name,” Colman Domingo said of his co-star on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Maclin plays Divine Eye, a jailhouse bully who has a difficult time adjusting to the vulnerable and therapeutic setting that is the RTA program. It is hard to explore his character arc without spoiling the movie, but what can be said is that he embodies the film’s themes of rehabilitation, reclamation, and connection. Maclin plays a version of  himself in this movie, having spent 15 years at Sing Sing, and discovering his love for acting through the RTA program. His performance in Sing Sing is raw and authentic. The fact that Maclin is not even in the race for best supporting actor, let alone the favorite to win, is remarkable. He should be on the podium sporting his massive gap-toothed grin to a room full of perfect Hollywood smiles. 

The Apprentice: The movie that nobody wanted…except the Academy.  It feels like a movie about the President should be a bigger deal. Especially one that depicts the President as a lying rapist. But no, the Donald Trump biopic came and went without taking up much space in the cultural conversation. This should not have come as a big surprise though. Who was this movie really for? It certainly was not for the pro-Trump crowd. Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of Trump as a narcissistic, manipulative, all around bad guy did not go over well in the Trump camp. Donald Trump called everybody who worked on the movie “human scum,” and dismissed the project as a part of a smear campaign ahead of the election. The movie was not a hit in the anti-Trump crowd either, likely due to the lack of appetite for more Donald Trump. The movie flopped spectacularly at the box office, but it was received well by critics. Most of the praise centered around the acting of Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, and Jeremy Strong as Trump’s lawyer, Roy Cohn. Stan has spoken about the difficulty in promoting the movie, with Trump proving himself to be a figure nobody in Hollywood wants to touch, especially publicly. Both Stan and Strong have been acknowledged with Oscar nominations, which means that the Academy is prepared to give screen time to the movie about Hollywood’s current “He who shall not be named.”

Every scandal surrounding Emilia Perez: Emilia Perez has been nominated in 13 categories including best picture, best director, and best original screenplay. This staggering number is the second-highest ever, tied with classics such as “Forrest Gump” and “Gone With The Wind.” This in itself is controversial because the recognition from the Academy does not align with the way the movie was received. The movie ranks second-last among the 10 best picture nominees in Metacritic score, a rating designed to capture a critical consensus. Furthermore, this isn’t a case of pretentious critics belittling a movie that was celebrated by the general public; “Emilia Perez” currently sits at a 2.3 out of 5 on Letterboxd, a website that allows cinephiles and casual movie fans to rate movies. Compare that to a 3.6 for “A Complete Unknown,” the second-lowest score for a current best picture nomination. 

The drama surrounding “Emilia Perez” extends far beyond whether the movie is good or not. To understand the scrutiny of this film, it is important to understand what the film is about, and what it is trying to portray. “Emilia Perez” is a story about being born again. It is the story of a Mexican cartel boss who, after transitioning to a woman, turns to activism as a way to right the wrongs of her previous life. French filmmaker, Jacques Audiard, is an outsider to both the transgender and Mexican communities, and is being criticized for his depiction of both. GLAAD published a scathing article in which they criticized the film for its inaccurate portrayal of the trans experience. The article cites technical issues such as how the film describes the effects of taking hormones, as well as symbolic issues like how the film equates transitioning with family abandonment. Mexican screenwriter Hector Guillen labeled the movie “Racist Euro Centric Mockery” for its portrayal of Mexico that leans heavily on stereotypes. 

As if the backlash about the movie itself wasn’t enough, the lead actress is now bringing negative attention to the film. Just weeks after becoming the first openly trans person to be nominated for an acting Oscar, Karla Sofía Gascón is making headlines for a series of offensive old tweets. These tweets include Gascón calling George Floyd a drug-addicted hustler, making disparaging remarks about muslims, and some problematic views on what she refers to as the “Chinese Vaccine.” The backlash to these tweets has been so severe that the film is taking steps to remove Gascón from promotional posters. Why is all of this coming out now? Well, the actress herself has a theory. In an interview with a Brazilian newspaper, she accuses members of Fernanda Torres’ team of “tearing me and ‘Emilia Perez’ down.” Torres is competing with Gascón for Best Actress for her role in “I’m Still Here,” which is also vying for best picture. There is no proof to these claims. 

All of this controversy leads to one question. Why? If “Emilia Perez” is bad, if it is problematic, then why has it been nominated for thirteen Oscars, and considered among the favorites to win best picture? There isn’t one clear answer, but there are a few possibilities. The Academy is shifting and growing, both literally and in terms of what it celebrates. There has been a big shift over the last few years to the appreciation of foreign films. “Emilia Perez,” a Spanish language movie with Latino-inspired music, has a big foreign appeal. It is also original; a musical about a drug kingpin transitioning to a woman has never been done before. The creativity seems to have gone over very well among Hollywood insiders, who are ultimately the ones voting for these awards. Another big factor is Zoe Saldaña’s captivating performance as Emilia Perez’s lawyer. She is currently the favorite to take home a well-deserved best supporting actress award. So is “Emilia Perez” really that bad? Is it offensive? It depends on who you ask. What is clear is that the amount of negativity surrounding “Emilia Perez” is unprecedented for a movie that looks to be on the path to being one of the most decorated films in Oscar history. 

“Sing Sing,” “The Apprentice,” and “Emilia Perez” are just three of many talking points ahead of this year’s Oscars. There are countless more snubs being lamented over. There are many more surprise nominations, causing fans and critics to completely reassess the state of the races. Many of the year’s most celebrated films are navigating their own mini-scandals. At least one of these stories is going to rear its head on March 2nd, and it’s up to all of the viewers at home to sit back and enjoy the fallout.