On March 2, 2025, the 97th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles. Films vying for the coveted Best Picture award include “Wicked,” “Emilia Pérez,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown” and “Conclave.”
As we approach the day the excitement grows, but as does the debate around which films deserve to be Oscar winners.
We’ve already shared views of College of Communication (COM) students on “The Brutalist” and “A Complete Unknown” and to enhance additional discussion on the Oscar nominees, we interviewed a few more COM students for additional insight.
“Academy Awards are a great honor and nobody who has received one is undeserving, but it is obvious now how much politics and the media affect how the academy votes,” said Charline Ochang. “Hollywood doesn’t like to push the envelope and instead awards half-baked narratives that inaccurately portray the struggles of the underprivileged. However, to say that is all the Academy is capable of is false and discredits a lot of great artists. The problems I have with the Academy are both the result of industry-wide stigmas and general discourse about privilege and oppression.”
Neveah Calliste hadn’t done much research on the nominees this year. She said, “I don’t really tune into the Oscars, but I believe that the nominees who win are usually justifiable.” She added that she hadn’t seen many of the picks for Best Picture, but she thinks “Nosferatu” will most likely win Best Production Design.
Sadie Shelkey said, “Horror films rarely do well at the Oscars, so I’m super glad ‘Nosferatu’ got some nominations.”
Students were also asked about their overall impression of the Academy Awards and we received some very profound comments.
“Overall, I enjoy watching the Academy Awards. I love movies and it’s an entire night dedicated to those who create them. However, I feel like they sometimes have issues nominating movies that are labelled as ‘blockbusters.’ I totally understand that they are trying to prioritize complex storylines and creativity, but I think they sometimes miss really great movies,” said Juliet Ribeiro. “One movie I think deserved a nomination this year was ‘Challengers,’ even for the background score alone.”
Another COM student from the graduating class of 2027, who wished to remain anonymous, criticized a musical that has gotten many mixed reviews. “The Oscars have had their share of brilliant picks, however it has also consistently picked figures who do not deserve prestigious accolades. When it comes to ‘Emilia Pérez,’ the film represents Mexico from a Eurocentric perspective and lacks cultural awareness. Many of the scenes weren’t even shot in Mexico,” they said.
Ribeiro, Ochang, and Shelkey agree that if there was a film that they believed didn’t merit the nomination, it was “Emilia Pérez” and if you’ve been keeping up with the media, this is not an uncommon belief.
Whether the future recipients of the 97th Academy Awards will be justified is not for us to say, but the thoughts from our fellow COM scholars is one that merits a continued discourse. The Oscars are like Christmas for film lovers and a time for movie-goers to come together and geek out about their favorite picks (myself included).
We’ve certainly come a long way from the very first Academy Awards back in 1929, but the honor to receive such a “prestigious accolade” is one unlike any other.
Who do you think will take home the coveted trophies? Let us know in the comments section below.
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