On Jan. 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released their nominations for the upcoming 97th Oscars, which will take place on March 2.

The 13 nominations for “Emilia Pérez”, including Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture, have dominated the audience’s attention. With 13 nominations, it falls one short of the record 14 nominations held by “La La Land”, “Titanic”, and “All About Eve.” “Emilia Pérez” is also the most nominated non-English film in Oscars history, the third non-English film to hit double digits.

“The Brutalist” and “Wicked” also impressed as they received double digit nominations with10 each. The three films with double-digit nominations share four common categories; editing, original score, supporting actress and best picture.

While conversations about “Emilia Pérez” fill the air of award season, the 97th Oscars have given audiences many interesting narratives to focus on.

After the pandemic left 2020 and 2021 with a weak quantity of releases, 2022 and 2023 gave audiences a boom in movies from some of the top active directors. Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, among others releasing projects in 2022 and 2023, left 2024 to feel like a cooldown for films. While top directors might not have been a headline of 2024, filmmakers like Sean Baker and Brady Corbet were able to have breakout years come awards season.

First time nominees dominated the nominations, with eight of the 10 Best Picture nominees being directed by filmmakers receiving their first best picture nod. Acting categories shared a similar theme, as 14 of the 20 nominated actors were first time Oscar nominees, including Golden Globe winning Demi Moore for her role in “The Substance.”

Another first-time nominee is recent Golden Globe winner Fernanda Torres. Torres is nominated for the Walter Salles-directed “I’m Still Here.” She is the second person of Brazilian descent  to be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. The first? Her mom, Fernanda Montenegro, for the Walter Salles-directed “Central Station” in 1999. Montenegro also plays the older version of Torres’ character in the 2025 Best Picture nominee.

One theme that continued from last year’s Academy Awards is recognition of international features. 2024 saw both “The Zone of Interest” and “Anatomy of a Fall” receive Best Picture nominations as international features. 2025 also has two in “I’m Still Here” and “Emilia Pérez.” Not only did international features get recognition, but movies directed by non-American directors were shown appreciation from the academy. Of the 10 best picture nominees, half were directed by foreign filmmakers.

This year saw an impressive feat reached by five individuals. Colman Domingo gets a nomination for actor in a leading role for the second year in a row, this time around for “Sing Sing.” Janty Yates and Dave Crossman were nominated for costume design for “Napoleon” in 2024 and “Gladiator” II in 2025, as Edward Lachman is given a nod for his cinematography in 2024’s “El Conde” and 2025’s “Maria”.

Of the five, only one person was nominated in both years for two different awards, Kris Bowers. Bowers produced 2024’s winner of documentary short “The Last Repair Shop” before composing the score to “The Wild Robot”, nominated in 2025.

The film world has been begging for something fresh in their movies for years. The Academy’s selection of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” as 2023’s best picture winner gave audiences a taste of what was to come. While “Emilia Pérez” may be unique, originality still sticks out in the other nominees. Movies like “The Brutalist,” “The Substance” and “Anora” stand out as thematically different from best picture nominees in the past. While it might have been an interesting year for movies, March 2 is building up to be a refreshing experience as fresh faces hit the red carpet.