Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 2 Mar 2025
THE BIGGEST NIGHT in Hollywood is just hours away.
The 97th Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles tonight.
The ceremony will kick off at 12am Irish time, and while there is limited Irish interest this year, US late night television host Conan O’Brien – who claims Irish-American heritage – will be hosting the awards for the very first time.
With this awards season having been one of the most unpredictable in the last decade, all eyes will be on Hollywood to see who takes home the gold.
The Journal will be bringing you all the latest from the ceremony as it happens tonight.
This year, the Academy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player from 12am.
The live broadcast has previously been acquired by Sky for Ireland and the UK. This contract ended last year, with RTÉ able to acquire both the live show and the highlights programme for the first time.
Highlights from the Oscars will also air on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player from 9.30pm on Monday.
The two films could hardly be more different: a gritty black comedy about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, and an elegant, big-studio drama focusing on the cutthroat election of a new Pope in the Vatican.
But Anora and Conclave now appear to be locked in a two-horse race to win the biggest award of the night.
Presenting this year’s Best Picture nominees:
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 27, 2025
• Anora
• The Brutalist
• A Complete Unknown
• Conclave
• Dune: Part Two
• Emilia Pérez
• I'm Still Here
• Nickel Boys
• The Substance
• Wicked
Watch the 97th #Oscars LIVE on Sunday, March 2nd, at 7e/4p on ABC and Hulu. pic.twitter.com/LW3ePtHAjj
Anora won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or last May, and has accrued top prizes from Hollywood directors, producers, writers and critics.
But Conclave appears to have won over many late voters, earning the top honours at the Baftas in London and the Screen Actors Guild award for best cast. Almost every surprise best picture Oscar winner in recent times – from Shakespeare in Love to Parasite – have all won the top SAG prize.
If another film does take home the prize, it’s likely to be The Brutalist – a saga about a Hungarian Jewish architect making a new life in the post-WWII United States.
The full list of nominees for Best Picture are:
Adrien Brody is the favourite to take home the award for Best Actor for his performance in The Brutalist, after winning at the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Baftas.
But after winning at the SAGs last week for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet seems to be his biggest competition for the gold statuette.
The other nominees are Ralph Fiennes for his performance in Conclave, Colman Domingo for playing a man wrongfully convicted of murder in Sing Sing, and Sebastian Stan for his performance as Donald Trump in The Apprentice.
Best Actress appears to be a toss-up between Mikey Madison for her role in Anora and Demi Moore for her portrayal of a fading actress who uses a black market drug that creates a younger version of herself in The Substance.
Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez) and Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) are also nominated.
If there is one sure thing about the Oscars this year, it’s that Kieran Culkin will win the Best Supporting Actor gong for A Real Pain, where he stars alongside Jesse Eisenberg as a pair of mismatched cousins who reunite for a Jewish heritage tour through Poland.
Culkin has won every other award on the circuit, so the Academy Award seems to be as good as his. The other nominees are Yura Borisov (Anora), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) and Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice).
Equally, the Best Supporting Actress award looks set to go to Zoe Saldaña for her performance in Emilia Pérez, where she plays a lawyer who becomes a fixer for a Mexican cartel leader. She has also scooped the prize at the other award ceremonies.
Her competition is Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave). Could we see a surprise win in one or more of the acting categories? We’ll have to wait and see.
A full list of nominations can be found here.
Wicked co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will take to the stage, where they’re expected to perform a medley of songs from the hit musical.
Doja Cat, Lisa of Blackpink, Queen Latifah and Raye have also been confirmed as performers, with the Academy teasing “showstopping performances celebrating the filmmaking community and some of its legends.”
The ceremony will also feature a special appearance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
The Apprentice, which was produced by Irish production company Tailored Films along with Canadian and Danish producers, is up for two nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor – but a win in either category would be surprising.
Lisburn-man Nick Emerson is more likely to see success. He is nominated for Best Film Editing for his work on Conclave, and after winning the Bafta earlier this month, he’s in with a good chance of bagging the Oscar.
He faces stiff competition though, with Sean Baker currently the frontrunner for Anora. David Jancso (The Brutalist), Juliette Welfling (Emilia Pérez) and Myron Kerstein (Wicked) are also nominated in the editing category.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say