The 97th Academy Awards are upon us; with them are plenty of stacked categories and controversial nominees. There were plenty of snubs this year from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score for Challengers to A24’s Queer. But, no matter how strong or how weak each category is, there must be a winner. Here are the Pomegranate’s picks for who should win and insight on who is likely to win at the 2025 Oscars.

Best Picture

The biggest category of the night, Best Picture is awarded to the producers of a single movie that showcases excellence in the field of filmmaking. It’s often a contentious award due to the Academy’s habit of giving it to epic historical dramas that don’t add much to the conversation of film, or, they simply give it to a bad movie. But, the Academy still has the opportunity to surprise us and award it to a truly deserving film. This year’s nominees are:

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Perez

I’m Still Here

Nickel Boys

The Substance

Wicked

My pick for Best Picture is Conclave. Every element of Conclave is on point. The acting is phenomenal, the directing and writing are superb, and the film’s production is stunning. Conclave is a captivating story that presents interesting and thought-provoking viewpoints without feeling pretentious. Out of all the nominees, the film stands out for its exceptional cast and cinematography; its representation of the Catholic Church is more than just a critique of religion but an honest depiction of the complexities of the Church. Conclave is a fantastic movie and it deserves Best Picture.

This year’s Best Picture category is very contentious with multiple of the nominees having a shot at the award. Anora has been a favorite among critics and award shows alike. The film’s lead actress, Mikey Madison, as well as the film’s plot and director have received acclaim for their parts in the movie, and, with Anora winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, it has a good chance at winning Best Picture. The Substance has also been a popular pick among critics, but, since it’s a horror film, chances are slim that it will win Best Picture. The Academy has never liked giving awards to horror films so don’t get your hopes up that The Substance will win anything.

The Brutalist and Emilia Perez are possibly the category’s top contenders as both films have won numerous accolades. The Brutalist has the power of past-Oscar winner Adrien Brody behind it while Emilia Perez checks off all of the Academy’s boxes when it comes to international films. All we know is that Best Picture is going to be a close race.

Best Actor

Best Actor is awarded to a single actor who gave the best performance of the year in his respective film. This year is especially exciting thanks to the star-studded nominees list. From previous Oscar-winner Adrien Brody to Timothee Chalamet, there will be plenty of talk on which actor takes home the award. This year’s nominees are:

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes, Conclave

Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

My pick for Best Actor is Ralph Fiennes for Conclave. This category is between Adrien Brody and Ralph Fiennes, but I have to go with Fiennes. He is excellent in Conclave, and it’s undoubtedly one of his best performances of his career. Fiennes brought a level of subtle intensity to his role that was perfect for the film. Throughout the movie, he evokes strength and emotion as his character, Cardinal Lawrence, is tasked with choosing the next pope of the Catholic Church. Conclave is an interesting movie that could have been lackluster due to a boring cast, but Fiennes’ performance helps make it one of the best films of the year. Ralph Fiennes deserves Best Actor.

While I can continue to celebrate Fiennes’ performance, it looks like the award will go to Adrien Brody. Brody has already won many accolades for The Brutualist, including the Best Actor award at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards which is normally a sure sign that somebody will win the Oscar. Brody is the clear choice, and the star power of Ralph Fiennes, Timothee Chalamet, or Sebastian Stan is going to change that.

Best Actress

Best Actress is awarded to an actress who gave a fantastic performance in her respective film. Just like Best Actor, this year the category is stacked. For the most part, each nominee has received critical acclaim for their roles, so it’s already a tight race. This year’s nominees are:

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked

Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez

Mikey Madison, Anora

Demi Moore, The Substance

Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

My pick for Best Actress is Demi Moore for The Substance. Moore gives a phenomenal performance in The Substance as Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging actress desperate to be younger. She perfectly depicts the movie’s main themes; her character serves not only as commentary on Moore’s own career but a critique of the expectations Hollywood forces on women. In every scene, her acting quickly grabs your attention. There is no doubt that Demi Moore gave one of the best performances of the year, and she deserves Best Actress.

During any Oscars race the best way to predict winners is to see who’s already won awards for their role. But, when it comes to this year’s Best Actress batch, the awards circuit has been split. Demi Moore is a strong contender due to her acclaimed performance in The Substance and because she’s already won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award. And, given her notable career, the Academy may see this as a legacy award for Moore.

Mikey Madison could be tough competition for Moore; her role in Anora as well as the film itself are highly acclaimed and she has also won multiple awards, including a British Film Academy award. What seems certain is that Best Actress will come down to Demi Moore and Mikey Madison who have received much more attention for their respective roles than the other nominees.

Best Director

Best Director is awarded to the director or directors of a single film that displayed outstanding director. This year’s nominees are:

Jacques Audiard, Emilia Perez

Sean Baker, Anora

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

James Mangold, A Complete Unknown

My pick for Best Director is Coralie Fargeat for The Substance. If director Edward Berger had been nominated for Conclave then he would be my pick, but, unfortunately, he was snubbed by the Academy. So, Coralie Fargeat is the most obvious choice for Best Director. The Substance is an enthralling film that draws you in thanks to Fargeat’s excellent directing. Fargeat created The Substance with all of the camp and grandness of the horror genre, but she elevates it further to create the ultimate critique of Hollywood and female beauty standards. Coralie Fargeat brought the story of The Substance to life and she deserves Best Director.

Best Director is another category where we can’t be sure who will win. We can rule out James Mangold who has simply not received anywhere near the amount of attention or acclaim as the other nominated directors. But, for the other films, all of them have been received well by critics. We’ll have to wait until Oscars night to see who takes home Best Director.

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actor is awarded to an actor who gave an outstanding performance in a supporting role. This year’s nominees are:

Yura Borisov, Anora

Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce, The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

My pick for Best Supporting Actor is Guy Pearce in The Brutalist. Guy Pearce is fantastic in The Brutalist, and he does a wonderful job of supporting Adrien Brody in the lead role. Pearce, who plays Harrison Lee Van Buren, a wealthy industrialist obsessed with the work of architect Laszlo Toth, centers the entire film. I can’t put it any better than the AV Club: “Guy Pearce doesn’t just give the best supporting performance of the year…he does so playing the best supporting character of the year.” Guy Pearce deserves Best Supporting Actor.

The award is most likely to go to Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain. Culkin has already won numerous accolades for his role, and he is currently the critic-favorite for Best Supporting Actor. None of the other nominees, not even Guy Pearce, have much of a chance against Culkin’s momentum. This is one of the few categories that it’s easy to predict a winner for; it’s going to Kieran Culkin, whether he deserves it or not.

Best Supporting Actress

The fourth and final acting category, Best Supporting Actress is awarded to an actress who gave an outstanding performance in a supporting role. This year’s nominees are:

Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

Ariana Grande, Wicked

Felicity Jones, The Brutalist

Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez

My pick for Best Supporting Actress is Isabella Rossellini in Conclave. Rossellini is outstanding in the role of Sister Agnes, the nun overseeing the many cardinals vying for the papacy. Rossellini grabs your attention every time she is on screen; she does a fantastic job at working with the other characters, and she was the perfect choice for this role. Isabella Rossellini was simply perfect in Conclave, and she gave one of the best performances of the year.

The category is expected to go to Zoe Saldana who gave the stand-out performance in Emilia Perez. Saldana has already received several awards for the film and is expected to take home the Oscar as well. Rossellini is seen as Saldana’s closest competition for the award due to the critical acclaim given to both actresses; sorry folks, Ariana Grande won’t be winning an Oscar for Wicked.

Best Original Song

Best Original Song is awarded to the songwriter(s) of a song written for a film. The performers of the song are not nominated unless they are also the songwriters. It’s one of the most interesting categories of the night as it has little connection or effect on the other awards. This year’s nominees are:

“Never Too Late” by Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, & Andre Watt, Elton John: Never Too Late

“El Mal” by Camille Dalmais, Clement Ducol, & Jacques Audiard, Emilia Perez

“Mi Camino” by Camille Dalmais & Clement Ducol, Emilia Perez

“Like a Bird” by Abraham Alexander & Adrian Quesada, Sing Sing

“The Journey” by Diane Warren, The Six Triple Eight

My pick for Best Original Song is “The Journey” by Diane Warren for The Six Triple Eight. This year’s Best Original Song category is exceptionally weak. It’s hard to choose a winner simply because I don’t want to call any of these songs the best of anything. Given that, the strongest nominee is “The Journey” by Diane Warren. Warren crafted a song that fits well into its respective movie, The Six Triple Eight. Diane Warren has been nominated for too many Oscars to count, and she’s never won. Given this year’s batch of nominees, it might finally be her chance to win Best Original Song.

Best Original Score

Best Original Score is awarded to the composer(s) of a score written specifically for a film. A score is incredibly important as it can completely change the tone of a movie. This year’s nominees are:

The Brutalist, Daniel Blumberg

Conclave, Volker Bertelmann

Emilia Perez, Camille Dalmais & Clement Ducol

Wicked, John Powell & Stephen Schwartz

The Wild Robot, Kris Bowers

My pick for Best Original Score is Conclave by Volker Bertelmann. Bertelmann’s score for Conclave is exceptional and perfectly sets the tone of the film. From the most dramatic moments of the film to scenes of more subdued drama, the score never ceases to impress me. The film also does a fantastic job of incorporating the score into the film, making you feel that the music was always part of the story and not an afterthought.

It blows my mind that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for Challengers was not nominated. If it had been, it would be tough competition for the other nominees. But, besides the excellent score for Conclave, Daniel Blumberg’s score for The Brutalist has not only received critical attention, but it’s actually good. I doubt Wicked will win, it simply does not have the originality or acclaim of the other nominees. This category will come down to The Brutalist and Conclave, and we’ll just have to wait to see who wins.

Best Animated Feature

The nominees are:

Flow

Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Wild Robot

My pick for Best Animated Feature is The Wild Robot. A beautiful film, The Wild Robot provides an interesting and clever story while also showcasing the artistry of animation. The film feels whimsical while still presenting a main theme that is deeper than just a children’s movie. The Wild Robot deserves Best Animated Feature. It’s also the likely winner due to the film’s critical success. Flow and Memoir of a Snail are possible competition as they have also been well received by critics. One thing is for sure, don’t expect it to go to Inside Out 2. With this year’s category having more mature nominees than usual, we can expect one of the less-accessible films to win.

This year’s Academy Awards are being held on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The show will be aired on ABC and hosted for the first time by Conan O’Brien, so be sure to catch the ceremony!