Opinions on the Oscar nominations, diversities, favorites, and more!

By: Wiktoria Mroczka

The 97th Academy Awards, set to air on Mar. 2, have revealed a lineup of nominations that honor cinematic excellence and emphasize ongoing discussions about diversity in Hollywood. Leading the nominations is "Emilia Pérez" with 13 nods, followed closely by "The Brutalist" and "Wicked," each securing 10 nominations. 

"Emilia Pérez," a Spanish-language film, has made history for its impressive nomination count and groundbreaking representation. Karla Sofía Gascón, the film's lead, is the first openly transgender performer to receive an acting nomination, marking a significant milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in the industry.       

Despite these strides, the overall diversity of this year's nominations has come under examination. While there are notable inclusions, such as four Latinx actors receiving acting nominations, the majority of nominees remain predominantly white.

Andrew, the College Library Assistant reacts to the diversity as “It’s reactionary. I don’t know if it’s what we want to be. Changes are made slowly.” This trend raises questions about the effectiveness of initiatives like the Academy's Aperture 2025, designed to promote inclusivity.

The Best Director category reflects this disparity, Coralie Fargeat is the only female nominee for her work on "The Substance." This highlights the persistent underrepresentation of women in key creative roles, despite their significant contributions to cinema.

Illustration by Tito

Andrew voiced a movie that should be nominated “Challengers is the highlight of the year. There’s a lot of good dialogue but many don’t see it as a serious movie.”

Andy Garcia, majoring in Fine Arts and Creative Writing has watched "Dune: Part Two", "Wicked" and "The Wild Robot". “The movie Look Back wasn’t nominated but should. It’s an anime about the struggles of artists and writers. It’s a sad story but it has beautiful messages," Garcia said. 

Finally, Alicia Anzaldo, a Biology Professor expresses her opinions on nominated movies, “My favorite was A Real Pain because it’s unique and different. I liked the storyline and the battle. Nosferatu was horrible, the story was hard to follow, the music was too loud, and as a horror movie, it was not scary despite the trailer being scary.”

Some of her favorite movies are "The Godfather", "Dirty Dancing", and "Saturday Night Fever". “People should be recognized for what they do after they put years of work into it," Anzaldo said.