
Editor’s note: Throughout the Oscar season, IndieWire will update this page with in-depth Oscar predictions from Awards Editor Marcus Jones and Crafts & Animation Editor Bill Desowitz. A link to each category will lead to lists of the ever-changing contenders, plus reporting on what films have captivated voters, rules changes made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, interviews with potential nominees, and much more.
The State of the Race
The 97th annual Academy Awards are fast approaching, meaning it is already time to try and determine what film can fill the shoes of last year’s Best Picture winner and box office phenomenon “Oppenheimer.”
Looking back at 2024, the year in film was initially characterized by an unpredictable box office turnout that has seen films meant to be massive blockbusters come and go. Festivals like Sundance and Cannes definitely gave the film community some hope, with titles like “A Real Pain,...
The State of the Race
The 97th annual Academy Awards are fast approaching, meaning it is already time to try and determine what film can fill the shoes of last year’s Best Picture winner and box office phenomenon “Oppenheimer.”
Looking back at 2024, the year in film was initially characterized by an unpredictable box office turnout that has seen films meant to be massive blockbusters come and go. Festivals like Sundance and Cannes definitely gave the film community some hope, with titles like “A Real Pain,...
- 2/18/2025
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor enjoyed a surprise early birthday celebration at the 2025 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors ceremony on Monday night — complete with a cake, sparkling candles and the well-heeled crowd singing her “Happy Birthday”.
Ellis-Taylor was among the special honorees at the awards show, feted not just for turning another year older, but for delivering another year full of dazzling performances, including in the best picture Oscar-nominated film “Nickel Boys.” Though the spotlight was on Elllis-Taylor, she seemed less interested in accepting her well-deserved flowers than in doling them out to her fellow honorees.
“Keke Palmer made me famous,” Ellis-Taylor declared as she took the stage at the Sls Hotel in Beverly Hills to accept ABFF’s Excellence in the Arts trophy from her “Origin” director Ava DuVernay.
A dozen years ago, Ellis-Taylor and Palmer — who was honored with the Renaissance Award for her varied career accomplishments thus far — co-starred...
Ellis-Taylor was among the special honorees at the awards show, feted not just for turning another year older, but for delivering another year full of dazzling performances, including in the best picture Oscar-nominated film “Nickel Boys.” Though the spotlight was on Elllis-Taylor, she seemed less interested in accepting her well-deserved flowers than in doling them out to her fellow honorees.
“Keke Palmer made me famous,” Ellis-Taylor declared as she took the stage at the Sls Hotel in Beverly Hills to accept ABFF’s Excellence in the Arts trophy from her “Origin” director Ava DuVernay.
A dozen years ago, Ellis-Taylor and Palmer — who was honored with the Renaissance Award for her varied career accomplishments thus far — co-starred...
- 2/18/2025
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV

Amazon MGM Studios’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Nickel Boys emerged as the top winner at the 25th Black Reel Awards. The film earned six honors during Monday’s virtual ceremony, including Outstanding Film and Outstanding Director for RaMell Ross.
Produced by Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and David Levin, Nickel Boys also received awards for Outstanding Screenplay, Outstanding Emerging Director, Outstanding First Screenplay, and Outstanding Cinematography. The film’s recognition comes on the heels of its nominations for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.
Netflix’s The Piano Lesson was among the other top recipients, garnering four awards. Danielle Deadwyler won for Outstanding Supporting Performance, while the film also secured accolades for Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Hairstyling & Makeup, and Outstanding Production Design.
Additional honors were distributed to several other projects. Marianne Jean-Baptiste took home the Outstanding Lead Performance award for her role in Hard Truths,...
Produced by Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and David Levin, Nickel Boys also received awards for Outstanding Screenplay, Outstanding Emerging Director, Outstanding First Screenplay, and Outstanding Cinematography. The film’s recognition comes on the heels of its nominations for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.
Netflix’s The Piano Lesson was among the other top recipients, garnering four awards. Danielle Deadwyler won for Outstanding Supporting Performance, while the film also secured accolades for Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Hairstyling & Makeup, and Outstanding Production Design.
Additional honors were distributed to several other projects. Marianne Jean-Baptiste took home the Outstanding Lead Performance award for her role in Hard Truths,...
- 2/18/2025
- by Naser Nahandian
- Gazettely

Amazon MGM Studios’ Nickel Boys won a leading six awards Monday at the Black Reel Awards, including the group’s marquee Outstanding Film Award and Outstanding Director for RaMell Ross.
The awards, celebrating their 25th edition, honors the year’s best in Black cinematic excellence, were handed out Monday in a virtual ceremony.
Nickel Boys, adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and nominated for the Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay Oscars, also won tonight for Outstanding Screenplay, Outstanding Emerging Director, Outstanding First Screenplay and Outstanding Cinematography.
Netflix’s The Piano Lesson won four awards including Outstanding Supporting Performance for Danielle Deadwyler, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Hairstyling & Makeup and Outstanding Production Design.
Other notable winners tonight included Hard Truths star Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who won the gender-neutral Outstanding Lead Performance award. The Mike Leigh film also won Outstanding International Film.
Here’s the full list of 2025 winners:
Outstanding Film
Nickel Boys
Joslyn Barnes,...
The awards, celebrating their 25th edition, honors the year’s best in Black cinematic excellence, were handed out Monday in a virtual ceremony.
Nickel Boys, adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and nominated for the Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay Oscars, also won tonight for Outstanding Screenplay, Outstanding Emerging Director, Outstanding First Screenplay and Outstanding Cinematography.
Netflix’s The Piano Lesson won four awards including Outstanding Supporting Performance for Danielle Deadwyler, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Hairstyling & Makeup and Outstanding Production Design.
Other notable winners tonight included Hard Truths star Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who won the gender-neutral Outstanding Lead Performance award. The Mike Leigh film also won Outstanding International Film.
Here’s the full list of 2025 winners:
Outstanding Film
Nickel Boys
Joslyn Barnes,...
- 2/18/2025
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV

Nominations voting is from January 8-17, 2025, with official Oscar nominations announced January 23, 2025. Final voting is February 11-18, 2025. And finally, the 97th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 2 and air live on ABC at 7:00 p.m. Et/ 4:00 p.m. Pt. We update our picks through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2025 Oscar predictions.
The State of the Race
It is a win for “Emilia Pérez” to even be nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, and that’s not because of any of the controversies surrounding the Netflix film, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2024. It is simply because musicals are hardly ever nominated for screenplay awards, much less win them.
That goes for music biopics as well. The last one to win an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay was “Amadeus” in 1985, and that is vastly different from “A Complete Unknown” this year,...
The State of the Race
It is a win for “Emilia Pérez” to even be nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, and that’s not because of any of the controversies surrounding the Netflix film, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2024. It is simply because musicals are hardly ever nominated for screenplay awards, much less win them.
That goes for music biopics as well. The last one to win an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay was “Amadeus” in 1985, and that is vastly different from “A Complete Unknown” this year,...
- 2/17/2025
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire

Sales activity at the Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market revved up on Saturday as Sony Pictures Classics struck a deal for North American rights to Rebecca Zlotowski’s murder mystery “Vie Privée,” starring Jodie Foster.
Variety‘s Elsa Keslassy had the scoop on SPC’s deal for the film, which also covers key territories in Latin America. “Shot in Paris and Normandy, ‘Vie Privée’ is currently in post-production and will likely world premiere in the festival circuit,” Keslassy writes.
Foster, who speaks fluent French, stars in the film as renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner, who mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients after she becomes convinced that there has been a murder. Foster last starred in a French-language film 20 years ago in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Oscar-nominated “A Very Long Engagement.” Zlotowski ranks as one of France’s top filmmakers. “Vie Privée” marks her first deal with Sony Pictures Classics.
Variety‘s Elsa Keslassy had the scoop on SPC’s deal for the film, which also covers key territories in Latin America. “Shot in Paris and Normandy, ‘Vie Privée’ is currently in post-production and will likely world premiere in the festival circuit,” Keslassy writes.
Foster, who speaks fluent French, stars in the film as renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner, who mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients after she becomes convinced that there has been a murder. Foster last starred in a French-language film 20 years ago in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Oscar-nominated “A Very Long Engagement.” Zlotowski ranks as one of France’s top filmmakers. “Vie Privée” marks her first deal with Sony Pictures Classics.
- 2/17/2025
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV


In the first of our annual Oscar hustings, here why RaMell Ross’s incredibly tender film of Colson Whitehead’s novel should take the top prize
The idea of praising a film for being beautiful is understandably suspect. It’s the kind of gushing tribute paid to things that turn out to be lifeless and humourless. But RaMell Ross’s Oscar-nominated film Nickel Boys, adapted from the novel by Colson Whitehead, really is beautiful; it creates beauty and even a kind of complex, defiant joy from generational pain and trauma caused by racism in the postwar United States. Of all the films on this mixed best picture nomination list, Nickel Boys – produced by Dede Gardner, Joslyn Barnes and Jeremy Kleiner– is the film which I’d most like to win, perhaps partly because as a film about the African American experience it for some reason isn’t in the conversation...
The idea of praising a film for being beautiful is understandably suspect. It’s the kind of gushing tribute paid to things that turn out to be lifeless and humourless. But RaMell Ross’s Oscar-nominated film Nickel Boys, adapted from the novel by Colson Whitehead, really is beautiful; it creates beauty and even a kind of complex, defiant joy from generational pain and trauma caused by racism in the postwar United States. Of all the films on this mixed best picture nomination list, Nickel Boys – produced by Dede Gardner, Joslyn Barnes and Jeremy Kleiner– is the film which I’d most like to win, perhaps partly because as a film about the African American experience it for some reason isn’t in the conversation...
- 2/17/2025
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News


The stars were out on both coasts for the 2025 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday (February 15).
The annual awards show honors outstanding writing in film, television, streaming, news, radio, and promotional categories.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story star Nicholas Alexander Chavez was in attendance at the New York ceremony, held at Edison Ballroom, where he took the stage to present.
Joining him in NYC included Ilana Glazer, Bowen Yang, J Smith Cameron, Roy Wood Jr, Busy Philipps, Jelani Alladin, Julio Torres, Celine Song, Sandra Oh, Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cyril Creighton.
On the West Coast, stars like Kiernan Shipka and Erin Foster were among those attending the LA ceremony at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.
Keep reading to find out more…
Also at the LA event included Megan Park, Justine Lupe, Ernie Hudson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lisa Ann Walter, Adele Lim, Joel Kim Booster, Utkarsh Ambudkar and his wife Naomi,...
The annual awards show honors outstanding writing in film, television, streaming, news, radio, and promotional categories.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story star Nicholas Alexander Chavez was in attendance at the New York ceremony, held at Edison Ballroom, where he took the stage to present.
Joining him in NYC included Ilana Glazer, Bowen Yang, J Smith Cameron, Roy Wood Jr, Busy Philipps, Jelani Alladin, Julio Torres, Celine Song, Sandra Oh, Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cyril Creighton.
On the West Coast, stars like Kiernan Shipka and Erin Foster were among those attending the LA ceremony at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.
Keep reading to find out more…
Also at the LA event included Megan Park, Justine Lupe, Ernie Hudson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lisa Ann Walter, Adele Lim, Joel Kim Booster, Utkarsh Ambudkar and his wife Naomi,...
- 2/17/2025
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared


The Oscar race is a marathon, not a sprint. There are dozens of pit stops along the way and trophies to be given out before the 2025 Oscars on March 2. Keep track of precursor wins here with our scorecard. This includes honors from major film festivals, critics groups, guilds, and televised shows of the 2024-25 Oscar season. Wins are listed in order of announcement and in accordance with candidates’ FYC campaigns.
Updated: Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, with BAFTA winners.
Conclave won Best Picture at Sunday’s BAFTA Awards, while Best Actress got a twist with a win for Anora‘s Mikey Madison.
The nomination leader with 12, Conclave took home four awards total, the others being Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best British Film. The Vatican thriller was in second place in the Best Picture odds, behind The Brutalist, and this marks its first major Best Picture win of the season after...
Updated: Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, with BAFTA winners.
Conclave won Best Picture at Sunday’s BAFTA Awards, while Best Actress got a twist with a win for Anora‘s Mikey Madison.
The nomination leader with 12, Conclave took home four awards total, the others being Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best British Film. The Vatican thriller was in second place in the Best Picture odds, behind The Brutalist, and this marks its first major Best Picture win of the season after...
- 2/16/2025
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby

Cinema’s next great coming-of-age journey is here. Premiering recently at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival with the backing of Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, Fernando Eimbcke’s “Olmo” has whisked audiences away, not just back to the late 1970s setting of the film, but to their own childhoods and the universal experience of first being at odds with your parents. In an exclusive clip provided to IndieWire, we get a taste for the kind of disagreements that arise in the film as Olmo (Aivan Uttapa) and his father, Nestor (Gustavo Sánchez Parra), argue over a broken radio. Watch above.
An official synopsis for “Olmo” reads, “1979, New Mexico, USA. Olmo is stuck. Today is his turn to take care of his sick father even though he is only 14-years-old and would much rather be hanging out with his best friend, Miguel. But when he gets invited to a party by his beautiful neighbor,...
An official synopsis for “Olmo” reads, “1979, New Mexico, USA. Olmo is stuck. Today is his turn to take care of his sick father even though he is only 14-years-old and would much rather be hanging out with his best friend, Miguel. But when he gets invited to a party by his beautiful neighbor,...
- 2/16/2025
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire


Too often, Hollywood rips a news event from the headlines and attempts to add schmaltz, melodrama, and superficiality to transform it into a straightforward story that offers little surprise to an audience. While the notion that something is “based on a true story” used to have some degree of meaning, the phrase has lost all value given how inauthentic many of these quasi-biopics feel. A lack of realism is certainly not something that the survival thriller “Last Breath” (2025) can be accused of. The film was directed by Alex Parkinson, who previously helmed a documentary feature of the same name that centered on the same subject.
The story of “Last Breath” defied science and logic, as it would have easily been deemed to be an implausible narrative had it been presented as a work of fiction. In 2012, the deep sea diver Chris Lemons was dragged to the bottom of the sea...
The story of “Last Breath” defied science and logic, as it would have easily been deemed to be an implausible narrative had it been presented as a work of fiction. In 2012, the deep sea diver Chris Lemons was dragged to the bottom of the sea...
- 2/16/2025
- by Liam Gaughan
- High on Films


With a few weeks left until the Academy Awards, almost all the big prizes for the 2025 awards season have been handed out, with only a few more left - next up are the biggest screenplay awards. The Writers Guild of America has announced the winners of the 2025 WGA Awards. Last year, the big WGA winners were The Holdovers (Original), written by David Hemingson, and American Fiction (Adapted), written by Cord Jefferson adapted from the novel "Erasure" by Percival Everett. What have fellow writers determined to be the best scripts of 2024? The winners: Anora (Original), written by filmmaker Sean Baker, plus Nickel Boys (Adapted), written by RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes; based on the book "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead. Mark Monroe also won the Best Documentary award for Jim Henson: Idea Man (on D+). I'm happy about all of the winners - Anora and Nickel Boys are two...
- 2/16/2025
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net


Sean Baker and Anora are continuing their run with guilds, as the movie has taken home Best Original Screenplay at the WGA Awards following huge wins with both the Directors Guild of America and Producers Guild of America. On the Adapted Screenplay front, RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes won for Nickel Boys.
But the WGA Awards are hardly the most reliable barometer for the Academy Awards. In fact, since 2010, the matching winners have pretty much always been in alternating years save for the back-to-back victories of Parasite and Promising Young Woman. Notably, however, there is only one other competitor that Anora was up against at the WGAs that is also up for Best Original Screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, as Challengers, Civil War and My Old Ass were benched. Instead, the Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominees contain three replacements that were ineligible for the WGAs: The Brutalist, September 5 and The Substance.
But the WGA Awards are hardly the most reliable barometer for the Academy Awards. In fact, since 2010, the matching winners have pretty much always been in alternating years save for the back-to-back victories of Parasite and Promising Young Woman. Notably, however, there is only one other competitor that Anora was up against at the WGAs that is also up for Best Original Screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, as Challengers, Civil War and My Old Ass were benched. Instead, the Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominees contain three replacements that were ineligible for the WGAs: The Brutalist, September 5 and The Substance.
- 2/16/2025
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com

With a victory for Best Original Screenplay win for “Anora” at the Writers Guild Awards 2025, it certifies the Sean Baker film as the top contender for Best Picture, even if fellow Oscar nominees “The Substance,” “September 5,” and “The Brutalist” were ineligible for the award having not been written by guild members or under a WGA collective bargaining agreement.
“Anora” had already won top prize at the PGA Awards and DGA Awards the previous weekend, with its Critics Choice Award for Best Film being a nice bonus. The only other film to win over those guilds and the WGA yet not win Best Picture is “Brokeback Mountain” in 2006. The major harbinger indicating that the Ang Lee movie would not prevail at the Oscars was “Crash” winning Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards, so a win at that particular awards body in the coming week is crucial to the Neon release’s dominant awards campaign.
“Anora” had already won top prize at the PGA Awards and DGA Awards the previous weekend, with its Critics Choice Award for Best Film being a nice bonus. The only other film to win over those guilds and the WGA yet not win Best Picture is “Brokeback Mountain” in 2006. The major harbinger indicating that the Ang Lee movie would not prevail at the Oscars was “Crash” winning Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards, so a win at that particular awards body in the coming week is crucial to the Neon release’s dominant awards campaign.
- 2/16/2025
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire


Anora and Nickel Boys were the big narrative feature winners at the 2025 Writers Guild of America awards on Saturday.
The Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East awards ceremonies – which ran simultaneouslyatBeverly Hiltonin Los Angeles and Edison Ballroom in New York –honoured Sean Baker’s Anora with the original screenplay prize and RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes with Nickel Boys for the adapted screenplay prize.
Both are nominated for the Oscar in their respective categories and will receive a boost from the WGA awards while final Oscar voting continues through February 18. Anora is regarded as the frontrunner for original,...
The Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East awards ceremonies – which ran simultaneouslyatBeverly Hiltonin Los Angeles and Edison Ballroom in New York –honoured Sean Baker’s Anora with the original screenplay prize and RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes with Nickel Boys for the adapted screenplay prize.
Both are nominated for the Oscar in their respective categories and will receive a boost from the WGA awards while final Oscar voting continues through February 18. Anora is regarded as the frontrunner for original,...
- 2/16/2025
- ScreenDaily


The 2025 awards season is in ceremony mode and this afternoon the Writer’s Guild of America handed out its annual honors. As is tradition, the WGA Awards were held in concurrent ceremonies in both New York and Los Angeles. Hosted by Joel Kim Booster, the big winners of the night were Sean Baker for “Anora” and RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes for “Nickel Boys.”
Read More: Jesse Eisenberg on “A Real Pain”: “The Greatest Prize Is That This Movie Might Allow Me To Make Two More”
Both awards were unexpectedly announced at the beginning of the program.
Continue reading ‘Nickel Boys’ & ‘Anora’ Top 2025 WGA Awards Winners at The Playlist.
Read More: Jesse Eisenberg on “A Real Pain”: “The Greatest Prize Is That This Movie Might Allow Me To Make Two More”
Both awards were unexpectedly announced at the beginning of the program.
Continue reading ‘Nickel Boys’ & ‘Anora’ Top 2025 WGA Awards Winners at The Playlist.
- 2/16/2025
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist

Awards-watchers are accustomed to waiting for the end of every awards show to see the big film categories handed out, but Saturday’s Writers Guild Awards threw everybody for a loop by making the film awards the first two categories of the night in simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
“Nickel Boys” won the first award of the night, for Best Adapted Screenplay, and “Anora” won the second, for Best Original Screenplay. The awards led off the shows because the BAFTA Awards are taking place in London on Sunday, with the categories’ early placement giving “Nickel Boys” writers RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes and “Anora” writer Sean Baker more time to get to London.
In the television categories that ended the show, “Shōgun” and “Hacks” continued the roll they’ve been on since last September’s Emmy Awards, with the former show winning three awards and the latter show winning two.
“Nickel Boys” won the first award of the night, for Best Adapted Screenplay, and “Anora” won the second, for Best Original Screenplay. The awards led off the shows because the BAFTA Awards are taking place in London on Sunday, with the categories’ early placement giving “Nickel Boys” writers RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes and “Anora” writer Sean Baker more time to get to London.
In the television categories that ended the show, “Shōgun” and “Hacks” continued the roll they’ve been on since last September’s Emmy Awards, with the former show winning three awards and the latter show winning two.
- 2/16/2025
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap

“Shōgun” dominated with three wins at the Writers Guild Awards on Saturday evening — including best drama, while “Hacks” scored two on the TV side, including best comedy. In film, “Anora” and “Nickel Boys” scored big wins, giving both entries a bit more momentum as Oscar voting ends on Tuesday. “Anora,” coming off Critics Choice, DGA and PGA wins for best picture last weekend, picked up the original screenplay prize for Sean Baker. “Nickel Boys,” which has two Oscar noms, won the WGA award for RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes.
“Shōgun” was the night’s big winner, picking up prizes for best drama, best new series and best drama episode. On the comedy side, “Hacks” also scored a double play, landing best comedy and best comedy episode. In the limited field, “The Penguin” scored the series win.
Meanwhile, it was the first WGA noms and wins for Baker, Ross and Barnes.
“Shōgun” was the night’s big winner, picking up prizes for best drama, best new series and best drama episode. On the comedy side, “Hacks” also scored a double play, landing best comedy and best comedy episode. In the limited field, “The Penguin” scored the series win.
Meanwhile, it was the first WGA noms and wins for Baker, Ross and Barnes.
- 2/16/2025
- by Michael Schneider and Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV


Anora kept up its impressive run to the Oscars on Saturday, adding the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay to its considerable haul. The win for the the Sean Baker film came a week after Anora swept the Directors Guild of America and Producers Guild of America top prizes, cementing itself as the frontrunner heading into the Academy Awards on March 2.
RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes‘ script forNickel Boys, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, scored for Best Adapted Screenplay at the WGA Awards, which honor the best writing in movies, television, news, and radio.
The key WGA categories of Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay are seen as a bellwether for the impending Academy Awards, though the nominees rarely match up. Scripts produced outside the guild’s collective bargaining agreement or written by a non-union member are deemed ineligible. This year, six...
RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes‘ script forNickel Boys, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, scored for Best Adapted Screenplay at the WGA Awards, which honor the best writing in movies, television, news, and radio.
The key WGA categories of Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay are seen as a bellwether for the impending Academy Awards, though the nominees rarely match up. Scripts produced outside the guild’s collective bargaining agreement or written by a non-union member are deemed ineligible. This year, six...
- 2/16/2025
- by Marcus James Dixon and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby

Sean Baker’s Anora, written by Baker, and Nickel Boys, written by RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, took the top film prizes at the 77th annual Writers Guild Awards tonight, for Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay, respectively. The awards were handed out in concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. See the full winners list below.
On the TV side, it was a big night for HBO/Max, which won the Comedy Series award (Hacks), Limited Series (The Penguin), Comedy/Variety Series and Specials and TV & Streaming Movie categories, as well as for Disney/FX’s Shōgun, which topped the Drama & New Series fields.
Anora is coming off a string of wins, including top honors from Directors Guild and Producers Guild, putting it in frontrunner status for the Academy Awards. It’s nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture as well as Directing and Original Screenplay for Baker.
Ross...
On the TV side, it was a big night for HBO/Max, which won the Comedy Series award (Hacks), Limited Series (The Penguin), Comedy/Variety Series and Specials and TV & Streaming Movie categories, as well as for Disney/FX’s Shōgun, which topped the Drama & New Series fields.
Anora is coming off a string of wins, including top honors from Directors Guild and Producers Guild, putting it in frontrunner status for the Academy Awards. It’s nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture as well as Directing and Original Screenplay for Baker.
Ross...
- 2/16/2025
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV

With last year’s ceremony taking place in the shadow of the 2023 strikes and this year’s function in the aftermath of the Southern California wildfires, the 2025 WGA Awards have a lot of work to do when it comes to lifting the spirits of the entertainment industry. Thankfully, good writing always has.
As is tradition, events for the east and west coast branches of the Writer’s Guild are held concurrently today at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles and the Edison Ballroom in New York City. LA’s affair is hosted by actor/comedian Joel Kim Booster and kicks off at 4:30pm Pt. For those who want to tune in at home, you can watch the west coast soiree via livestream at that time.
While under normal circumstances, tonight’s results wouldn’t necessarily carry much water when it comes to the Oscars, this year’s awards race...
As is tradition, events for the east and west coast branches of the Writer’s Guild are held concurrently today at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles and the Edison Ballroom in New York City. LA’s affair is hosted by actor/comedian Joel Kim Booster and kicks off at 4:30pm Pt. For those who want to tune in at home, you can watch the west coast soiree via livestream at that time.
While under normal circumstances, tonight’s results wouldn’t necessarily carry much water when it comes to the Oscars, this year’s awards race...
- 2/16/2025
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire

Plan B co-founder and Los Angeles native Dede Gardner refuses to let the Trump administration scare her out of LA.
At an EFM Industry Talk session Feb. 15 in Berlin, moderated by Variety‘s Elsa Keslassy, Gardner explained that though she may have initially felt the urge to relocate to Europe (especially in the wake of Plan B’s partnership with Paris-based Mediawan), she feels more strongly about continuing to tell important stories in L.A.
“The truth of it is I feel conflicted,” Gardner admitted. “There are days, especially recently, where you think, ‘This isn’t sustainable. What’s going to happen? This is completely nuts.’ Then there are other days where being in California, which is essentially the most progressive state, part of me thinks, ‘No, you know what? Stay here. Be on the front line. Be around. Be near the change.'”
She continued, ”We interviewed the great...
At an EFM Industry Talk session Feb. 15 in Berlin, moderated by Variety‘s Elsa Keslassy, Gardner explained that though she may have initially felt the urge to relocate to Europe (especially in the wake of Plan B’s partnership with Paris-based Mediawan), she feels more strongly about continuing to tell important stories in L.A.
“The truth of it is I feel conflicted,” Gardner admitted. “There are days, especially recently, where you think, ‘This isn’t sustainable. What’s going to happen? This is completely nuts.’ Then there are other days where being in California, which is essentially the most progressive state, part of me thinks, ‘No, you know what? Stay here. Be on the front line. Be around. Be near the change.'”
She continued, ”We interviewed the great...
- 2/15/2025
- by Lauren Coates and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Sbiff) has announced the winners of their 40th annual film awards. All three short award recipients are now eligible for the 2026 Academy Awards.
“It’s an undeniable pleasure to celebrate such a diverse and wonderful array of winning films,” said Sbiff director of programming Claudia Puig. “We have been so excited to showcase storytelling from 60 countries around the world in our slate of 185 films at Sbiff. The jury winners this year exemplify the best of creative independent filmmaking, covering subjects ranging from immigration, pay equity, environmental dangers, unwanted pregnancy, neuroscience and hempcrete construction.”
The 2025 Sbiff Awards ceremony took place on Feb. 15 at the El Encanto in Santa Barbara. The winning films were chosen by jury members Margaret Lazarus, Max Barbakow, Estrella Araiza, Shawn Patterson, Jeff Christian, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Gregory Nava, Andres Castillo, and Jeff Arch.
See the full list of winners below:
Audience Choice Award: “Out of Plain Sight,...
“It’s an undeniable pleasure to celebrate such a diverse and wonderful array of winning films,” said Sbiff director of programming Claudia Puig. “We have been so excited to showcase storytelling from 60 countries around the world in our slate of 185 films at Sbiff. The jury winners this year exemplify the best of creative independent filmmaking, covering subjects ranging from immigration, pay equity, environmental dangers, unwanted pregnancy, neuroscience and hempcrete construction.”
The 2025 Sbiff Awards ceremony took place on Feb. 15 at the El Encanto in Santa Barbara. The winning films were chosen by jury members Margaret Lazarus, Max Barbakow, Estrella Araiza, Shawn Patterson, Jeff Christian, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Gregory Nava, Andres Castillo, and Jeff Arch.
See the full list of winners below:
Audience Choice Award: “Out of Plain Sight,...
- 2/15/2025
- by Jazz Tangcay, Matt Minton, Abigail Lee and Lauren Coates
- Variety Film + TV


We have some suggestions if you’re looking for an awards contender to watch on streaming or video on demand this weekend. Our list of movies includes a Best Picture nominee top pick that recently became available for home viewing; two other Oscar-nominated new releases, one on streaming and one on VOD; a movie that wasn’t nominated for an Oscar but could have been; and a past Oscar nominee that would make for a nice double feature with the top pick.
Top pick: Nickel Boys
Director RaMell Ross’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ross and co-writer Joslyn Barnes. It’s a coming-of-age story about two Black adolescents, Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), at an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida, and what they do to get by and get out. It’s shot from a first-person perspective,...
Top pick: Nickel Boys
Director RaMell Ross’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ross and co-writer Joslyn Barnes. It’s a coming-of-age story about two Black adolescents, Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), at an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida, and what they do to get by and get out. It’s shot from a first-person perspective,...
- 2/15/2025
- by Liam Mathews
- Gold Derby

“I think about the film as a place to do, as I like to say, make an experiential monument,” says Nickel Boys director/co-writer RaMell Ross of the Oscar-nominated the Florida-set Jim Crow-era drama adapted from Colson Whitehead’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.
“To elevate your schoolboy story to a place of historical reckoning for an audience where you guys have an experience that’s like, as visceral as you smelling something, smelling the air after a storm, or you rolling in the grass or feeling the sun on your skin,” the filmmaker asserted. “Where it’s something you try to explain to someone and they’re like, dude, you were just rolling in the grass and you’re like, but you don’t understand.”
With acclaimed actors Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson onstage with him and Deadline Executive Editor Dominic Patten moderating, Ross was speaking on...
“To elevate your schoolboy story to a place of historical reckoning for an audience where you guys have an experience that’s like, as visceral as you smelling something, smelling the air after a storm, or you rolling in the grass or feeling the sun on your skin,” the filmmaker asserted. “Where it’s something you try to explain to someone and they’re like, dude, you were just rolling in the grass and you’re like, but you don’t understand.”
With acclaimed actors Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson onstage with him and Deadline Executive Editor Dominic Patten moderating, Ross was speaking on...
- 2/14/2025
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV

The following article is an excerpt from the new edition of “In Review by David Ehrlich,” a biweekly newsletter in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the site’s latest reviews and muses about current events in the movie world. Subscribe here to receive the newsletter in your inbox every other Friday.
As someone who’s always taken great pride in pretending that I don’t give a shit about the Oscars, and great pleasure in rolling my eyes throughout awards season as movies like “Jojo Rabbit” and “Don’t Look Up” are exalted as supreme examples of the form, I find myself in the increasingly uncomfortable position of … being pretty at peace with the Academy’s choices over the last few years?
Of course, that’s more than a little nauseating in and of itself; a film critic expressing any degree of approval for the...
As someone who’s always taken great pride in pretending that I don’t give a shit about the Oscars, and great pleasure in rolling my eyes throughout awards season as movies like “Jojo Rabbit” and “Don’t Look Up” are exalted as supreme examples of the form, I find myself in the increasingly uncomfortable position of … being pretty at peace with the Academy’s choices over the last few years?
Of course, that’s more than a little nauseating in and of itself; a film critic expressing any degree of approval for the...
- 2/14/2025
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire

Nobody’s doing it quite like Plan B Entertainment’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. This year, the company’s co-heads (who oversee Plan B with Brad Pitt) brought RaMell Ross’ epic Colson Whitehead adaptation “Nickel Boys” to Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ross with Joslyn Barnes) Oscar nominations after Amazon released the 1960s-set, formally daring civil rights drama in theaters last fall. They join this week’s episode of IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” podcast with co-host Anne Thompson to talk honoring the “acrobatics and the courage and the bravery and the gymnastics” of Whitehead’s text, Ross’ innovative first-person camera work with cinematographer Jomo Fray, and the anxiety-inducing challenge of the film’s ending.
But Plan B is plenty busy elsewhere, with Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” just premiering in London and heading for a Berlin Film Festival bow. Also with Brad Pitt as executive producer, Gardner...
But Plan B is plenty busy elsewhere, with Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” just premiering in London and heading for a Berlin Film Festival bow. Also with Brad Pitt as executive producer, Gardner...
- 2/14/2025
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire


Despite the recent massive shakeup in the Oscar race after Anora took down The Brutalist at the Critics Choice, Directors Guild, and Producers Guild awards, look for The Brutalist to walk away with the most trophies at the 78th annual BAFTA Awards this weekend, according to Gold Derby’s winner predictions.
Both movies are going head-to-head for Best Film, where the other three nominees are A Complete Unknown, Conclave, and Emilia Pérez.
The Brutalist, which scored nine total BAFTA bids, is now forecasted to dominate the field by winning five trophies: Best Film, Best Director for Brady Corbet, Best Actor for Adrien Brody, Best Cinematography, and Best Score. The period piece tells the story of a Holocaust survivor who hopes to achieve the American Dream.
Anora, on the hand, is only eyeing victories for Best Original Screenplay for Sean Baker and Best Casting. The film stars Mikey Madison, the frontrunner...
Both movies are going head-to-head for Best Film, where the other three nominees are A Complete Unknown, Conclave, and Emilia Pérez.
The Brutalist, which scored nine total BAFTA bids, is now forecasted to dominate the field by winning five trophies: Best Film, Best Director for Brady Corbet, Best Actor for Adrien Brody, Best Cinematography, and Best Score. The period piece tells the story of a Holocaust survivor who hopes to achieve the American Dream.
Anora, on the hand, is only eyeing victories for Best Original Screenplay for Sean Baker and Best Casting. The film stars Mikey Madison, the frontrunner...
- 2/13/2025
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby

In Nickel Boys, filmmaker and artist RaMell Ross has created one of the most surprising awards-season movies for some years. His radical approach to form and content is unlike anything usually campaigned for and championed in the mainstream. However, the film is precisely the type of work we’ve come to expect from Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner’s Plan B Entertainment.
The company, co-run by Brad Pitt, has been here before. There was Terrence Malik’s Palme d’Or-winning Tree of Life, which Ross has cited as an inspiration; Steve McQueen’s sprawling American epic 12 Years a Slave; and the quieter but no less impactful Moonlight from Barry Jenkins. The last two made industry-shifting gains when they clinched the Best Picture Oscar, and Nickel Boys has the chance to do the same in the Dolby on March 2 with a nom in the top Oscar category alongside one for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The company, co-run by Brad Pitt, has been here before. There was Terrence Malik’s Palme d’Or-winning Tree of Life, which Ross has cited as an inspiration; Steve McQueen’s sprawling American epic 12 Years a Slave; and the quieter but no less impactful Moonlight from Barry Jenkins. The last two made industry-shifting gains when they clinched the Best Picture Oscar, and Nickel Boys has the chance to do the same in the Dolby on March 2 with a nom in the top Oscar category alongside one for Best Adapted Screenplay.
- 2/12/2025
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV

IndieWire is excited to announce the dates for the 2025 editions of IndieWire Honors, the awards event unlike any other. Past Honorees include Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson, Selena Gomez, Denis Villeneuve, Steve McQueen, Carol Burnett, Lee Sung Jin, Greta Gerwig, John Mulaney, and Lulu Wang.
Both events will take place in Los Angeles, with a TV-focused IndieWire Honors on Thursday, June 5, and a film-focused IndieWire Honors on Thursday, December 4.
IndieWire Honors has become a key stepstone in both the TV and film awards seasons, with many IndieWire Honorees becoming Emmy and Oscar nominees and winners.
On the TV side, IndieWire Honorees who went on to earn Emmy nominations include Carol Burnett (“Palm Royale”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Dakota Fanning (“Ripley”), Matt Bomer (“Fellow Travelers”), Issa López (“True Detective: Night Country”), and Francesca Sloane (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), with the host of the June 2024 IndieWire Honors event, Alex Edelman, winning an Emmy...
Both events will take place in Los Angeles, with a TV-focused IndieWire Honors on Thursday, June 5, and a film-focused IndieWire Honors on Thursday, December 4.
IndieWire Honors has become a key stepstone in both the TV and film awards seasons, with many IndieWire Honorees becoming Emmy and Oscar nominees and winners.
On the TV side, IndieWire Honorees who went on to earn Emmy nominations include Carol Burnett (“Palm Royale”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Dakota Fanning (“Ripley”), Matt Bomer (“Fellow Travelers”), Issa López (“True Detective: Night Country”), and Francesca Sloane (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), with the host of the June 2024 IndieWire Honors event, Alex Edelman, winning an Emmy...
- 2/12/2025
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire

Editor’s note: On January 7, two massive wildfires broke out in Los Angeles that damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of structures, creating an estimated $60 billion in economic losses. It was yet another blow to Hollywood’s already struggling production scene, which experienced significant contraction in 2024 following years of work stoppages due to the pandemic and 2023’s dual labor strikes. Many crew members have been financially devastated — all while production leaves the city (and the country) in droves as studios opt for cheaper locales and better tax incentives. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to expand the state’s film and TV tax credit in hopes it’ll help revive things, but IATSE Vice President Michael F. Miller Jr. argues that the studios need to do their part to help keep L.A.-based production alive.
IATSE represents more than 168,000 behind-the-scenes film and television workers, including about 45,000 on the West Coast,...
IATSE represents more than 168,000 behind-the-scenes film and television workers, including about 45,000 on the West Coast,...
- 2/12/2025
- by Michael F. Miller Jr.
- Deadline Film + TV


There is so much to unpack in RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” (2024) that it is hard to do justice with words. It is poetic and poignant as it blends historical fiction with a coming-of-age tale and a bruising prison drama. Although it revolves around two teenagers, it emerges as a collective portrait of an entire generation that struggled through the Jim Crow era. The film primarily follows Elwood (Ethan Herisse), a 17-year-old bright student, who seeks a higher education and hopes for a secure future. His doting grandmother motivates him in the same direction until one day when he finds himself in trouble.
While on his way to class, Elwood gets offered a car ride. He naively accepts the offer only to realize something shocking about it. Soon, he gets sentenced to Nickel Academy, a ruthless reformatory in Southern America. His dreams get shattered as he finds himself being forced to...
While on his way to class, Elwood gets offered a car ride. He naively accepts the offer only to realize something shocking about it. Soon, he gets sentenced to Nickel Academy, a ruthless reformatory in Southern America. His dreams get shattered as he finds himself being forced to...
- 2/12/2025
- by Akash Deshpande
- High on Films

Nominations voting was from January 8-17, 2025, with official Oscar nominations announced January 23, 2025. Final voting is February 11-18, 2025. And finally, the 97th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 2 and air live on ABC at 7:00 p.m. Et/ 4:00 p.m. Pt. We update our picks through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2025 Oscar predictions.
The State of the Race
The back and forth on which nominee will win the Academy Award for Best Picture has been so drawn out, so contentious, that the surge of support “Anora” got last weekend has been a breath of fresh air. After major wins for Sean Baker and his film at the Critics Choice Awards, the PGA Awards, and the DGA Awards, we finally have some consensus as final Oscars voting opens up.
While Baker’s sex worker dramedy has been a formidable contender since last spring, when it...
The State of the Race
The back and forth on which nominee will win the Academy Award for Best Picture has been so drawn out, so contentious, that the surge of support “Anora” got last weekend has been a breath of fresh air. After major wins for Sean Baker and his film at the Critics Choice Awards, the PGA Awards, and the DGA Awards, we finally have some consensus as final Oscars voting opens up.
While Baker’s sex worker dramedy has been a formidable contender since last spring, when it...
- 2/11/2025
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire


Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Bowen Yang and more will present during the Oscars ceremony on March. 2, the Academy announced Tuesday.
Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler and June Squibb round out the list, with Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Emma Stone already announced and more names yet to come.
Conan O’Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards, his first time on the job. The show will air on ABC, stream live on Hulu.
Many of the presenters on the list have won Oscars themselves: Berry, Cruz, Goldberg, Downey, Murphy, Randolph and Stone (the latter four won each acting category at last year’s ceremony). Johansson, Lithgow and Squibb have previously been nominated as well, and Yang helped present this year’s Oscar nominees in January.
Emilia Pérez leads this years nominations with 13, though the film has since encountered scandal regarding past social...
Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler and June Squibb round out the list, with Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Emma Stone already announced and more names yet to come.
Conan O’Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards, his first time on the job. The show will air on ABC, stream live on Hulu.
Many of the presenters on the list have won Oscars themselves: Berry, Cruz, Goldberg, Downey, Murphy, Randolph and Stone (the latter four won each acting category at last year’s ceremony). Johansson, Lithgow and Squibb have previously been nominated as well, and Yang helped present this year’s Oscar nominees in January.
Emilia Pérez leads this years nominations with 13, though the film has since encountered scandal regarding past social...
- 2/11/2025
- by Zoe G. Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News

On the morning of the 97th Oscar nominations, the words “nominees to be determined” were on everyone’s mind. Half of the Best Picture nominees — “The Brutalist,” “Emilia Pérez,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys,” and “The Substance” — were announced without specific details over which producers would be eligible to attend and accept on the film’s behalf if it were to win. Animated Feature contenders “Flow” and “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” and Best Documentary Feature nominee “Sugarcane” were also announced without producers. The omissions sparked enough discussion that The Academy began selling “Nominees to Be Determined” tee shirts on its website.
The Academy determined the remaining nominations on Monday, February 10, announcing the producers for each remaining film. The list came with some notable omissions, particularly in the case of “The Brutalist.” Joining Brady Corbet as nominees are producers Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, and D.J. Gugenheim — not Mona Fastvold,...
The Academy determined the remaining nominations on Monday, February 10, announcing the producers for each remaining film. The list came with some notable omissions, particularly in the case of “The Brutalist.” Joining Brady Corbet as nominees are producers Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, and D.J. Gugenheim — not Mona Fastvold,...
- 2/11/2025
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Oscar Nominees List Finalized As Academy Names All Producers For Best Picture & Two Other Categories

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed all the producers for its Best Picture nominees, along with the missing names for a couple of other categories.
The producers vying for Best Picture are Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim and Brady Corbet for A24’s The Brutalist; Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard for Netflix’s Emilia Pérez; Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira for Sony Pictures Classics’ I’m Still Here; Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Joslyn Barnes for Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios’ Nickel Boys; and Coralie Fargeat and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner for Mubi’s The Substance.
The Academy today also set Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman as the nominated producers for Sideshow/Janus Films’ Animated Feature hopeful Flow and Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek for fellow toon nominee Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl from Netflix.
Related:...
The producers vying for Best Picture are Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim and Brady Corbet for A24’s The Brutalist; Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard for Netflix’s Emilia Pérez; Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira for Sony Pictures Classics’ I’m Still Here; Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Joslyn Barnes for Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios’ Nickel Boys; and Coralie Fargeat and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner for Mubi’s The Substance.
The Academy today also set Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman as the nominated producers for Sideshow/Janus Films’ Animated Feature hopeful Flow and Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek for fellow toon nominee Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl from Netflix.
Related:...
- 2/10/2025
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV

The Academy has issued a list of eligible producers in the Animated Feature, Documentary Feature and Best Picture categories, with the list making “Emilia Pérez” director Jacques Audiard a rare four-time nominee this year and increasing the tally for “The Substance” director Coralie Fargeat and “The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet from two nominations to three.
Audiard is now nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song. He joins a short list of quadruple nominees for the same film, which also includes Orson Welles for “Citizen Kane” (with the Best Picture nom officially going to his company), Warren Beatty for “Heaven Can Wait” and “Reds,” the Coen brothers for “No Country for Old Men” (the editing nod under a pseudonym), Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland.”
Farget and Corbet also have nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, with the Best Picture nominations adding to their totals.
Audiard is now nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song. He joins a short list of quadruple nominees for the same film, which also includes Orson Welles for “Citizen Kane” (with the Best Picture nom officially going to his company), Warren Beatty for “Heaven Can Wait” and “Reds,” the Coen brothers for “No Country for Old Men” (the editing nod under a pseudonym), Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland.”
Farget and Corbet also have nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, with the Best Picture nominations adding to their totals.
- 2/10/2025
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap

Every year, I enjoy grilling the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Writers Panel, the smart folks who wrote the best movies of the year. Three of this group of Oscar nominees adapted their screenplays.
For “Conclave” — nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor Ralph Fiennes, and Supporting Actress Isabella Rossellini — Peter Straughan elegantly adapted Robert Harris’ 2016 papal thriller. He captures the political chess game of pitting the pieces against each other, which lets the audience try to follow who’s winning. But he also focused on one cardinal (Ralph Fiennes) and his interior journey facing doubt. Straughan started out as a playwright but moved to writing films like “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” when he figured out how much more money he could make. He did make some cinematic changes: He added more explosions.
For “Nickel Boys,” documentary producer Joslyn Barnes rejoined her “Hale County This Morning, This Evening...
For “Conclave” — nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor Ralph Fiennes, and Supporting Actress Isabella Rossellini — Peter Straughan elegantly adapted Robert Harris’ 2016 papal thriller. He captures the political chess game of pitting the pieces against each other, which lets the audience try to follow who’s winning. But he also focused on one cardinal (Ralph Fiennes) and his interior journey facing doubt. Straughan started out as a playwright but moved to writing films like “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” when he figured out how much more money he could make. He did make some cinematic changes: He added more explosions.
For “Nickel Boys,” documentary producer Joslyn Barnes rejoined her “Hale County This Morning, This Evening...
- 2/10/2025
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire


Amazon MGM’s powerful drama Nickel Boys, based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is set to make its digital debut. The Oscar-nominated film, which had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival before a limited theatrical release in December 2024, has garnered critical acclaim for its harrowing portrayal of injustice. Here’s everything you need to know about when and where you can stream Nickel Boys online.
What is Nickel Boys About?
Nickel Boys is inspired by the true story of the infamous Dozier School for Boys, a reform school in Florida known for its brutal treatment of students. The film follows Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), two African-American boys navigating the horrors of the Nickel Academy in the 1960s. As Elwood clings to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings, Turner adopts a more cynical approach to survival—forcing both to make impossible choices in a deeply unjust system.
What is Nickel Boys About?
Nickel Boys is inspired by the true story of the infamous Dozier School for Boys, a reform school in Florida known for its brutal treatment of students. The film follows Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), two African-American boys navigating the horrors of the Nickel Academy in the 1960s. As Elwood clings to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings, Turner adopts a more cynical approach to survival—forcing both to make impossible choices in a deeply unjust system.
- 2/10/2025
- by Naveed Zahir
- High on Films

Have you ever seen such a stressful moment at a major sporting event? We're not talking about Super Bowl Lix here, although I'm sure that's exciting, too. Instead, though, the movie junkies at /Film are focused firmly on the commercials today, including the new Super Bowl spot for "F1," Joseph Kosinski's stylish and adrenaline-fueled new movie about the deadly, high-speed lives of Formula One drivers.
The new movie stars Brad Pitt, who hasn't been on screen so much lately in the wake of his protracted legal battle against ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Per Vulture, Jolie alleges Pitt was abusive, but despite an FBI investigation, no charges were ever filed. Though the actor's production company, Plan B Entertainment, has continued to fund great projects in recent years -- including the trippy Netflix sci-fi series "3 Body Problem" and one of the best movies of 2024, "Nickel Boys" -- Pitt's only 2024 role was opposite George Clooney in "Wolfs,...
The new movie stars Brad Pitt, who hasn't been on screen so much lately in the wake of his protracted legal battle against ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Per Vulture, Jolie alleges Pitt was abusive, but despite an FBI investigation, no charges were ever filed. Though the actor's production company, Plan B Entertainment, has continued to fund great projects in recent years -- including the trippy Netflix sci-fi series "3 Body Problem" and one of the best movies of 2024, "Nickel Boys" -- Pitt's only 2024 role was opposite George Clooney in "Wolfs,...
- 2/10/2025
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film

‘Anora’ skyrockets to No. 1 in Best Picture Oscar odds after huge upsets at PGA, DGA, Critics Choice

Oscar pundits everywhere have been feverishly updating their predictions following Anora‘s sweep of top prizes at this weekend’s Critics Choice, Producers Guild, and Directors Guild awards. In fact, the film is now back at No. 1 in Gold Derby’s Best Picture Oscar odds.
Sean Baker‘s independent film about a Brooklyn sex worker (Mikey Madison) who marries into the wrong family previously topped our rankings between September and January, but lost its first place position soon after it was skunked at the Golden Globes. That’s when The Brutalist, Brady Corbet‘s period piece about a Holocaust survivor (Adrien Brody) who hopes to achieve the American Dream, took the lead in the Gold Derby odds.
Anora triumphed at Critics Choice in Best Picture after being blanked in its other races, including Best Actress (Madison lost to Demi Moore for The Substance), Best Director (Baker lost to Jon M. Chu...
Sean Baker‘s independent film about a Brooklyn sex worker (Mikey Madison) who marries into the wrong family previously topped our rankings between September and January, but lost its first place position soon after it was skunked at the Golden Globes. That’s when The Brutalist, Brady Corbet‘s period piece about a Holocaust survivor (Adrien Brody) who hopes to achieve the American Dream, took the lead in the Gold Derby odds.
Anora triumphed at Critics Choice in Best Picture after being blanked in its other races, including Best Actress (Madison lost to Demi Moore for The Substance), Best Director (Baker lost to Jon M. Chu...
- 2/10/2025
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby

The refrain, sung by Take That, that opens “Anora” (Neon) — “Today this could be the greatest day of our lives” — sounds like a manifestation of the Palme d’Or winner’s awards campaign over the course of the last 24 hours. On Saturday night, two guild award wins, Best Picture at the PGA and Best Director at the DGA, followed the surprise Best Film win at Friday’s 2025 Critics Choice Awards.
After a wide field of six Best Picture contenders, we finally have a frontrunner in the Oscar race.
During the customary DGA acceptance speech before the announcement of the winner at the end of the night, “Anora” helmer Sean Baker expressed his admiration for his guild peers, and made another plea for theatrical distribution similar to what he stated at the CCAs. “Let’s do whatever we can do for us feature filmmakers to expand that theatrical window again; demand it.
After a wide field of six Best Picture contenders, we finally have a frontrunner in the Oscar race.
During the customary DGA acceptance speech before the announcement of the winner at the end of the night, “Anora” helmer Sean Baker expressed his admiration for his guild peers, and made another plea for theatrical distribution similar to what he stated at the CCAs. “Let’s do whatever we can do for us feature filmmakers to expand that theatrical window again; demand it.
- 2/9/2025
- by Marcus Jones and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire


The Producers Guild of America named Anora the best picture of the year at the 2025 PGA Awards. The surprise win came just an hour after director Sean Baker took home the DGA’s top prize — establishing the Neon film as the official Oscars frontrunner for Best Picture. Anora also won Best Picture at last night’s Critics Choice Awards.
Anora defeated fellow Oscar nominees The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, The Substance, and Wicked — as well as non-Oscar nominees A Real Pain and September 5. The two Oscar nominees that missed out on PGA noms were I’m Still Here and Nickel Boys.
Since 2009, both the PGA and the Academy Awards have selected their Best Picture with ranked-choice voting, aka the preferential ballot. Since the two groups aligned their voting procedure, the PGA has been one of the most reliable Oscar predictors, forecasting 13 of 16 Oscar champs including...
Anora defeated fellow Oscar nominees The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, The Substance, and Wicked — as well as non-Oscar nominees A Real Pain and September 5. The two Oscar nominees that missed out on PGA noms were I’m Still Here and Nickel Boys.
Since 2009, both the PGA and the Academy Awards have selected their Best Picture with ranked-choice voting, aka the preferential ballot. Since the two groups aligned their voting procedure, the PGA has been one of the most reliable Oscar predictors, forecasting 13 of 16 Oscar champs including...
- 2/9/2025
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby

Anora helmer Sean Baker won the marquee Theatrical Feature Film prize at the 77th annual DGA Awards, which were handed out tonight at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Check out the winners list below.
Baker solidified his position as the front-runner for Best Director at the Academy Awards on March 2, besting fellow nominees Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown). Baker also is coming off last night’s Critics Choice Award best picture win for Anora.
RaMell Ross took the Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film prize for Nickel Boys.
The DGA is a strong predictor of Oscar success historically, missing the eventual Best Director winner only eight times in its 76 years. Last year, the group handed its top trophy to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer, and he went on to snag the Academy Award a month later. The film also won Best Picture.
Baker solidified his position as the front-runner for Best Director at the Academy Awards on March 2, besting fellow nominees Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown). Baker also is coming off last night’s Critics Choice Award best picture win for Anora.
RaMell Ross took the Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film prize for Nickel Boys.
The DGA is a strong predictor of Oscar success historically, missing the eventual Best Director winner only eight times in its 76 years. Last year, the group handed its top trophy to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer, and he went on to snag the Academy Award a month later. The film also won Best Picture.
- 2/9/2025
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV

The Producers Guild of America Awards brought some clarity for the upcoming Oscars race as “Anora” took the evening’s top prize after it also won the top DGA prize for director Sean Baker just a few moments earlier as well as the Critics Choice award on Friday.
DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” gained momentum by earning the PGA animated film prize, while “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” which missed out on the Academy Awards shortlist, took home the PGA prize for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Picture.
On the television side, “Hacks” followed up its strong showing from Friday’s Critics Choice Awards, landing the Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy. Meanwhile, Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” landed the David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television. Other TV winners include “Saturday Night Live” in the Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk...
DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” gained momentum by earning the PGA animated film prize, while “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” which missed out on the Academy Awards shortlist, took home the PGA prize for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Picture.
On the television side, “Hacks” followed up its strong showing from Friday’s Critics Choice Awards, landing the Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy. Meanwhile, Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” landed the David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television. Other TV winners include “Saturday Night Live” in the Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk...
- 2/9/2025
- by Katcy Stephan and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV

Completing one of the most remarkable two-day stretches in awards-season history, “Anora” won the top feature film prize at the Producers Guild Awards on Saturday night. The victory came about an hour after its director, Sean Baker, won at the Directors Guild Awards two blocks away, and a little more than 24 hours after the film scored a surprise win for Best Picture at the Critics Choice Awards.
The Critics Choice/DGA/PGA trifecta took the Palme d’Or-winning tragicomedic indie from a film that didn’t seem to have much Oscar momentum to the closest thing to a frontrunner in this weird, unsettled season.
TheWrap ran into a dazed Baker in a corner of the lobby after his PGA win and commented, “Hell of a two days.” Baker smiled, shook his head and agreed. “Hell of a two days,” he said.
If “Anora” can win with the Producers Guild and...
The Critics Choice/DGA/PGA trifecta took the Palme d’Or-winning tragicomedic indie from a film that didn’t seem to have much Oscar momentum to the closest thing to a frontrunner in this weird, unsettled season.
TheWrap ran into a dazed Baker in a corner of the lobby after his PGA win and commented, “Hell of a two days.” Baker smiled, shook his head and agreed. “Hell of a two days,” he said.
If “Anora” can win with the Producers Guild and...
- 2/9/2025
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap

Sean Baker won the top film prize for “Anora” at the Directors Guild Awards on Saturday, putting himself in the driver’s seat for the Best Director Oscar. Last year’s winner, “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan presented Baker with the DGA Award.
Baker and “Anora” are on a huge high following the film’s surprise Best Picture win at the Critics Choice Awards on Friday. And about an hour after winning the DGA Award on Saturday, Baker collected the Producers Guild Awards’ top feature film prize in a stunning turn of events. The DGA, PGA and Critics Choice accolades are the first major honors the film has won this awards season, catapulting it into the front of the Oscar conversation.
“Oh my god, incredibly unexpected,” Baker said as he accepted the DGA honor alongside his directorial team. After acknowledging Nolan and “maestro” Ang Lee, he admitted his “imposter syndrome is skyrocketing right now.
Baker and “Anora” are on a huge high following the film’s surprise Best Picture win at the Critics Choice Awards on Friday. And about an hour after winning the DGA Award on Saturday, Baker collected the Producers Guild Awards’ top feature film prize in a stunning turn of events. The DGA, PGA and Critics Choice accolades are the first major honors the film has won this awards season, catapulting it into the front of the Oscar conversation.
“Oh my god, incredibly unexpected,” Baker said as he accepted the DGA honor alongside his directorial team. After acknowledging Nolan and “maestro” Ang Lee, he admitted his “imposter syndrome is skyrocketing right now.
- 2/9/2025
- by Philiana Ng
- The Wrap

“Anora” director Sean Baker has won the DGA Award for Theatrical Feature, gaining significant Oscar momentum ahead of final voting.
With its surprising best picture win at the Critics Choice Awards — its only prize of the night — the $6 million dramedy, which claimed the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, has solidified itself as a major contender in an unpredictable awards season.
“I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be able to do thing I knew I wanted to do since I was 5 years old,” Baker told the crowd Saturday at the conclusion of the 77th annual DGA Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton.
A wide-open year has unfolded with plenty of twists and turns, including campaign controversies and surprising Oscar snubs like DGA nominee Edward Berger and recent Critics Choice shocking victor Jon M. Chu for “Wicked.”
Legendary filmmaker Ang Lee, a two-time Oscar-winning director...
With its surprising best picture win at the Critics Choice Awards — its only prize of the night — the $6 million dramedy, which claimed the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, has solidified itself as a major contender in an unpredictable awards season.
“I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be able to do thing I knew I wanted to do since I was 5 years old,” Baker told the crowd Saturday at the conclusion of the 77th annual DGA Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton.
A wide-open year has unfolded with plenty of twists and turns, including campaign controversies and surprising Oscar snubs like DGA nominee Edward Berger and recent Critics Choice shocking victor Jon M. Chu for “Wicked.”
Legendary filmmaker Ang Lee, a two-time Oscar-winning director...
- 2/9/2025
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV

With Oscar nominations firmly set and multiple guild award shows every week between now and the big show in March, the race to the Academy Awards has entered its final leg. This weekend is a crucial one for award watchers, with the Producers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America both giving out their annual prizes at ceremonies that could predict the Best Picture and Best Director race.
The 77th annual DGA Awards, which took place at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, February 8, honored the year’s finest achievements in feature filmmaking, episodic TV, and commercial directing. The evening’s top prize, Theatrical Feature Film, went to Sean Baker for “Anora,” while other nominees included Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Pérez”), Edward Berger (“Conclave”), Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”), and James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”).
It remains to be seen what Baker’s big win means for his Oscar campaign — but last...
The 77th annual DGA Awards, which took place at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, February 8, honored the year’s finest achievements in feature filmmaking, episodic TV, and commercial directing. The evening’s top prize, Theatrical Feature Film, went to Sean Baker for “Anora,” while other nominees included Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Pérez”), Edward Berger (“Conclave”), Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”), and James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”).
It remains to be seen what Baker’s big win means for his Oscar campaign — but last...
- 2/9/2025
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire

Reading Time: 4 minutes
It’s awards season, celebrity gossip fans.
In the wake of the Golden Globes being handed out a few weeks ago, and then the Oscar nominations being announced a short time later, the 2025 Critics Choice Awards honored the best in movies and television on Friday night.
The ceremony was hosted by Chelsea Handler.
And the stars who took home the major prizes? Scroll down for a full list of Critics Choice Awards winners…
Demi Moore accepts the Best Actress award for “The Substance” onstage during the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on February 7, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Best Picture
“A Complete Unknown”
“Anora” (Winner)
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nickel Boys”
“Sing Sing”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”
Best Actor
Adrien Brody – “The Brutalist” (Winner)
Timothée Chalamet – “A Complete Unknown”
Daniel Craig – “Queer...
It’s awards season, celebrity gossip fans.
In the wake of the Golden Globes being handed out a few weeks ago, and then the Oscar nominations being announced a short time later, the 2025 Critics Choice Awards honored the best in movies and television on Friday night.
The ceremony was hosted by Chelsea Handler.
And the stars who took home the major prizes? Scroll down for a full list of Critics Choice Awards winners…
Demi Moore accepts the Best Actress award for “The Substance” onstage during the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on February 7, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Best Picture
“A Complete Unknown”
“Anora” (Winner)
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nickel Boys”
“Sing Sing”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”
Best Actor
Adrien Brody – “The Brutalist” (Winner)
Timothée Chalamet – “A Complete Unknown”
Daniel Craig – “Queer...
- 2/8/2025
- by Kay D. Rhodes
- The Hollywood Gossip
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.