How ‘Emilia Pérez’ can make history at the Oscar nominations

Emilia Pérez has the potential to set an Oscar milestone when the nominations are announced on Thursday. The Spanish-language Netflix musical drama about a trans drug lord could establish a new record for most nominations for an international film. The current mark is jointly held by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Roma (2018) with 10 apiece.

Already picking up major hardware this season, the French export seemingly has multiple major categories on lockdown, according to Gold Derby odds: Best Picture; Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jacques Audiard; Best Actress for Karla Sofía Gascón; Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña; Best International Film; Best Score; and dual Best Song nods for “El Mal” and “Mi Camino.” That would put Emilia Pérez at nine nominations, with only two more needed to break the record. Here are the remaining categories the film could potentially nab to surpass the record. 

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Selena Gomez for Best Supporting Actress 

While Saldaña is the runaway favorite to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Gomez should not be counted out when it comes to landing a nomination in a stacked category. Although she currently sits at ninth in the Gold Derby odds, Gomez has received mentions at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs and with such industry support for the film, she could ride Emilia Pérez momentum into the race alongside her costar Saldaña. 

Best Sound

Despite missing out on a BAFTA nod for this category, Emilia Pérez is sitting comfortably in fourth place, tied with Gladiator II and behind A Complete Unknown, Wicked, and Dune: Part Two. Musical films tend to do well here and given the assurance Emilia Pérez has with the music categories, combined with the sonic mixture of musical and action sequences displayed, Emilia Pérez looks pretty safe for a nomination here. 

Best Film Editing 

This category has become one of the technical races to determine the top-tier Best Picture contenders, and since Emilia Pérez has been one of the leaders at every major precursor, there is no reason why the film should not be cited after its showing at the BAFTAs and the American Cinema Editors (ACE Eddie) Awards. This branch especially loves the quantity and flashiness of the cuts, which this movie has in spades with its musical numbers. It sits at the fifth spot behind Anora, The Brutalist, Conclave, and Dune: Part Two.

Best Cinematography

This race is a longer shot, with Emilia Pérez currently sitting just on the outside in the sixth position, according to Gold Derby odds, with the nominees projected to be Conclave, Nickel Boys, Nosferatu, Dune: Part Two, and The Brutalist. Emilia Pérez has had a mixed record at the precursors, managing to get into BAFTA’s five-film slate, but missing out on a nod in the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Award’s lineup of seven. With its dramatic camera movements capturing the musical moments, showcase choreography, and action scenes, it would not be a surprise to see Emilia Pérez contend for Oscar here. 

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

The film centers around Gascón’s transition from a frightening drug kingpin to a beautiful woman, which was accentuated flawlessly by the makeup and hair team. Even though Emilia Pérez sits in seventh place, momentum might carry the film into this category, especially following its BAFTA showing. Additionally, some of the films above Emilia Pérez in the odds, such as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and A Different Man, could be vulnerable as they have less support and may not work to the branch’s specific taste.

Best Production Design

This is the likeliest category that Emilia Pérez will miss come nomination morning, as history tends to not favor contemporary films outside of fantasy spectacles like Barbie or Tenet. However, several musical numbers were shot on sound stages perfectly utilizing the frame and space, similar to Parasite and The Father, so Emilia Pérez is not out of the running despite its current seventh-place position. 

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When the nominations are announced on Thursday, we can see Emilia Pérez becoming the new standard-bearer among international films. Both Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma had surprise recognition in categories they were not expected to contend for (Best Song for the former and the two main actresses for the latter). And if Emilia Pérez lands in all of the categories mentioned, it would break the overall tally, surpassing All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016), each with 14 citations. It has been clear this entire awards season that industry’s love for Emilia Pérez is palpable and that support can work its way to it accomplishing history.