The 2025 Academy Awards are getting underway as Hollywood prepares to celebrate the best films and acting performances of the last year.
Sunday’s ceremony will be hosted by Conan O’Brien, who takes over from Oscars stalwart Jimmy Kimmel.
Nominations were announced in January, with Netflix’s divisive musical Emilia Pérez leading the pack on 13 nominations, setting a record for a non-English-language film. Meanwhile, The Brutalist and Wicked tied with 10 nominations apiece. A Complete Unknown and Conclave followed with eight mentions each.
In the acting categories, Demi Moore (The Substance), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), and Ariana Grande (Wicked) are among the nominees.
Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón is also set to attend after sitting out most of awards season due to her racist tweet controversy.
There is likely to be some kind of tribute to film icon Gene Hackman, whose death under “suspicious” circumstances at 95 is currently under investigation.
This year’s ceremony will air on ABC and stream on Hulu on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. British viewers can tune in on ITV1 and ITVX.
The Independent will be bringing you live updates from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Follow along below:
Key points
- Who is nominated?
- How to watch the ceremony
- The Independent's Oscar predictions
- What's in the Oscars gift bag?
Best dressed on the red carpet — updating live
23:10
,
Tom Murray
The Independent’s Lifestyle team is casting a scrupulous eye over the red carpet, determining who are this year’s fashion winners — and who should take the wooden spoon.
You can follow along with the best — and most questionable — outfits, updating live here:
Conan O'Brien shares his pre-show ritual
22:34
,
Tom Murray
Conan O’Brien is doing exactly what you’d think Conan O’Brien would be doing before his Oscars hosting gig.
“Preshow ritual,” he captioned a photo on X, which showed him holding a guitar with a pipe in his mouth. “I’m hosting the #Oscars tonight on @ABC and @hulu. See you there!”
Preshow ritual. I’m hosting the #Oscars tonight on @ABC and @hulu. See you there! pic.twitter.com/4VEydsQPvI
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) March 2, 2025
James Bond music tribute confirmed by Oscars president
22:24
,
Tom Murray
The Oscars will air a special tribute to the music of James Bond, Academy president Janet Yang told Variety on the red carpet.
“The Bond tribute is going to be amazing,” she said. “It’s going to be one of the highlights of the show.”
It comes weeks after long-serving 007 producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced they were handing over creative control of the iconic franchise to Amazon MGM Studios.
The pair also received honorary Oscars Governors Awards in November.
Read more:
Ethan Slater arrives on the red carpet without Ariana Grande
22:16
,
Tom Murray
Ethan Slater has arrived on the red carpet without his Wicked co-star and girlfriend, Ariana Grande.
The musical’s Oscar-nominated stars, Grande and Cynthia Erivo, will perform during the ceremony, it was confirmed earlier this week.
The Oscars’ 10 greatest Best Picture winners, from All About Eve to Parasite
22:00
,
Greg Evans
The Independent's Geoffrey Macnab chooses the best films to have ever won Hollywood's most prestigious award
Who is presenting award tonight?
21:20
,
Greg Evans
Selena Gomez, Ben Stiller and Oprah Winfrey, Elle Fanning, Halle Berry and Penélope Cruz are among the top names confirmed as presenters.
Red carpet gets underway
20:53
,
Tom Murray
It’s barely lunchtime in Los Angeles, but the Oscars red carpet is officially underway as this year’s nominees begin to trickle into the Dolby Theatre. For a second year, the ceremony will begin an hour earlier than usual in an effort to retain viewers on the East Coast.
ABC’s official red carpet coverage won’t start until 6:30 p.m. ET. It will also be available to watch on Hulu.
Stay tuned as we’ll be bringing you all the best and — ahem — most daring looks from the red carpet.
Oscar nominations 2025: The full list of movies, actors and directors
20:20
,
Greg Evans
All the movies and actors that are in contention for trophies at tonight’s ceremony.
15 worst films that ever won Oscars, ranked
19:20
,
Greg Evans
Any belief that the Oscars award the right films, directors and performances has faded over the years.
While every ceremony has a smattering of correct decisions – trophies handed to the right people for the right films – more often than not, the pervading feeling is one of pessimism caused by a deluge of undeserving recipients.
The Oscars are a far cry from what they claim to be – a celebration of the previous year’s cinematic offerings. But this does not stop people from trawling the internet the following morning in the hope that maybe, just maybe, the winners list impresses rather than disappoints.
With the 2025 ceremony taking place in March, we have highlighted 15 films that really should not have been awarded Oscars.
Oscars 2025 predictions: Who will win and who should win at this year’s Academy Awards
18:20
,
Greg Evans
Will it be Demi Moore or Mikey Madison? Timothée Chalamet or Adrien Brody? And is Emilia Pérez really, truly dead in the water? Ahead of the Sunday’s Academy Awards, Adam White predicts who will reign supreme in the show’s major categories.
Emilia Pérez is a mess of a film – it is also a worrying tale of our time that it was nominated for so many Oscars
17:20
,
Greg Evans
When the Oscar-nominated lead Karla Sofía Gascón was caught up in a Twitter storm recently she was promptly dropped by Netflix and airbrushed from their Academy Award campaign. But, argues Clarisse Loughrey, there are deeper troubling questions over why it was nominated for so many Oscars in the first place…
Anora: Why Sean Baker’s sad and sexy glitter bomb of a film deserves to win the Oscar for Best Picture
16:20
,
Greg Evans
The awards season staple features a star-making performance from 25-year-old Mikey Madison and a tone that oscillates between slapstick, romcom and bleak drama – and it’d be a worthy winner on Oscar night, writes Annabel Nugent.
How to watch the 2025 Oscars live tonight
15:35
,
Greg Evans
The 97th Academy Awards are about to be more accessible than ever before.
For the first time ever, the 2025 Oscars ceremony will air on ABC and be streamed live on Hulu at the same time. The annual awards show, which has aired on the broadcast network for a whopping 50 years, can be streamed by all Hulu subscribers starting at 7 p.m. ET on March 2, 2025. The Oscars will also be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
Meanwhile, viewers in the UK can follow the action on ITV1, with coverage starting from 10:30 pm.
Find out more below:
The Oscars have snubbed horror for too long – it’s time they rewarded gore
15:20
,
Greg Evans
As ‘The Substance’ becomes the first body horror film ever nominated for Best Picture, Kevin E G Perry looks back at the Academy’s long-running fear of scary movies.
Inside the controversial Oscars ‘fashion show’ – and why Hollywood hated it
14:21
,
Greg Evans
For years the Best Costume Design Oscar was presented via an elaborate spectacle that involved supermodels, dancers and – on one occasion – a live elephant carrying an envelope with the winner’s name in their trunk. Lydia Spencer-Elliott digs into the archives to unearth the truth behind the show’s slow demise.
Conan O’Brien might be the funniest man alive. Can he navigate hosting the Oscars?
13:20
,
Greg Evans
The former talk show host and all-time great ‘The Simpsons’ writer is taking the helm of the Academy Awards for the first time. Kevin E G Perry looks back at his storied career and examines how he’ll handle Hollywood’s biggest night in a city still reeling from devastating fires.
How Timothée Chalamet became his generation’s best chance at acting greatness
12:20
,
Greg Evans
The ‘Dune’ star is up for an Academy Award for playing Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’. Mike Bedigan explains what sets Chalamet apart from so many of his peers.
Brazilians have waited 25 years to avenge Gwyneth Paltrow’s Oscar win – Fernanda Torres might just do it
11:20
,
Greg Evans
In 1999, Brazilians were left frustrated when Fernanda Montenegro, one of the country’s most famous and respected actors, was beaten to an Academy Award by the ‘Shakespeare in Love’ star. Now, almost three decades later, Montenegro’s daughter – the star of the celebrated drama ‘I’m Still Here’ – could take home the Best Actress prize herself, writes Adam White
Actors like to get political at the Oscars – this year many won’t dare
10:20
,
Greg Evans
In a world awash in war and fascism, Academy Award winners are having to navigate an impossible conundrum: do you talk about it all on stage, or ignore it entirely? Al Horner speaks to Hollywood insiders and Oscar winners Adam McKay and Graham Moore about the biggest elephant in the room this awards season
Who is presenting awards at the Oscars
15:50
,
Greg Evans
Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey and Ben Stiller are among the big names confirmed to be presenting awards tonight.
The Brutalist: Why Brady Corbet’s 215-minute masterpiece deserves to win the Oscar for Best Picture
09:20
,
Greg Evans
The dense and stylish period epic starring Adrien Brody is going into the Oscar weekend no longer as the Best Picture frontrunner… and it’s an understandable if disappointing development, writes Louis Chilton
Read more:
Harrison Ford drops out as Oscars 2025 presenter due to shingles diagnosis
08:20
,
Greg Evans
Harrison Ford will no longer present at Sunday’s 2025 Oscars Award Show after falling ill.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the 82-year-old Indiana Jones actor was forced to back out of the opportunity to work as a presenter after being diagnosed with shingles yesterday.
The outlet confirmed Ford is “doing OK,” physically.
Why you can't watch this Oscars favorite in theaters
07:20
,
Tom Murray
For many low-budget, independent films, an Oscar nomination is a golden ticket.
The publicity can translate into theatrical releases or rereleases, along with more on-demand rentals and sales.
However, for No Other Land, a Palestinian film nominated for Best Documentary at the 2025 Academy Awards, this exposure is unlikely to translate into commercial success in the US. That’s because the film has been unable to find a company to distribute it in America.
Read more:
Ralph Fiennes’ Oscars hopes take a hit due to 'Schindler’s List'
06:20
,
Tom Murray
Anonymous Oscars voters have admitted that they didn’t vote for Ralph Fiennes in Conclave under the false assumption that they thought he had won before.
Fiennes, 62, is in contention for the Best Actor award for his performance as Cardinal Lawrence in the Vatican thriller. It’s the third time the star has been nominated for an Oscar, having previously been recognised for Schindler’s List and The English Patient.
Despite the nominations and critical acclaim, Fiennes didn’t actually win an Oscar for either of the roles, losing out to Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive and Geoffrey Rush in Shine, respectively.
Speaking to Variety, two of the voters admitted that they didn’t cast their ballot for Fiennes because they both believed that “he won before” for Schindler’s List, where he played Nazi officer Amon Goeth.
Read more:
Video: The Oscars | Overrated or Underrated?
05:21
,
Tom Murray
How The Brutalist made its disorienting, Oscar-nominated score
04:24
,
Tom Murray
The Oscar-nominated soundscape of Brady Corbet’s awards frontrunner was often recorded before filming had begun, before being blasted out of speakers onto the set of the film during production.
Kevin E G Perry speaks to composer Daniel Blumberg about his very novel approach to music – and his surprise that it’s been so embraced.
The curious history of the posthumous Oscar
03:25
,
Tom Murray
Heath Ledger, Peter Finch and Walt Disney are among the most famous stars to win Oscars after their deaths, something that is more common than you might at first think, writes Geoffrey Macnab.
In 2000, 55 Oscars vanished from an LA dock. What happened next?
02:27
,
Tom Murray
When a pallet carrying a small army of 13-inch-tall golden men vanished 24 years ago, Academy bosses raised the alarm and the FBI joined the hunt.
Ellie Harrison looks back on the strange tale, which features a dumpster diver, Hollywood handshakes and a $50,000 reward.
An Oscar frontrunner is based on a true story – but whose truth is it?
01:28
,
Tom Murray
I’m Still Here is inspired by the “disappearance” of a real-life congressman in Seventies Brazil and directed by Walter Salles, a childhood friend of the congressman’s family.
It’s just the latest in a strange sub-genre of historical fiction made by filmmakers with insider access, writes Xan Brooks – for better and for worse.
Video: Timothée Chalamet calls his oscar nomination 'luminous'
00:29
,
Tom Murray
Why ‘Mean Girls with popes’ deserves to win the Oscar for Best Picture
Saturday 1 March 2025 23:20
,
Jacob Stolworthy
Filled with dramatic popes and nuns backstabbing one another behind closed doors, Edward Berger’s surprisingly spicy thriller ‘Conclave’ – starring Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini – should be rewarded on Hollywood’s biggest night.
Lydia Spencer-Elliott goes to bat for the film here:
Why ‘Anora’ deserves to win Best Picture
Saturday 1 March 2025 22:30
,
Jacob Stolworthy
The awards season staple features a star-making performance from 25-year-old Mikey Madison and a tone that oscillates between slapstick, romcom and bleak drama – and it’d be a worthy winner on Oscar night, writes Annabel Nugent.
15 worst films that ever won Oscars, ranked
Saturday 1 March 2025 21:30
,
Jacob Stolworthy
Any belief that the Oscars award the right films, directors and performances has faded over the years.
While every ceremony has a smattering of correct decisions – trophies handed to the right people for the right films – more often than not, the pervading feeling is one of pessimism caused by a deluge of undeserving recipients.
Here are 15 of the most egregious examples:
Saturday 1 March 2025 20:30
,
Jacob Stolworthy
Although every Oscars nominee won’t be a winner this weekend, they will each walk away with something special: a very pricey gift bag.
Organised by Los Angeles-based entertainment company Distinctive Assets Legendary, this year’s gift bags for nominees were given a special title: “Everyone Wins.”
But what’s inside the luxurious bags each of which is reportedly worth more than six figures?
Amber Raiken investigates:
Who will win this year’s Oscars? Our predictions
Saturday 1 March 2025 19:30
,
Jacob Stolworthy
Will it be Demi Moore or Mikey Madison? Timothée Chalamet or Adrien Brody? And is ‘Emilia Pérez’ really, truly dead in the water?
Ahead of tomorrow’s Academy Awards, Adam White predicts who will reign supreme in the show’s major categories.
An end to political acceptance speeches?
Saturday 1 March 2025 18:30
,
Jacob Stolworthy
In a world awash in war and fascism, Academy Award winners are having to navigate an impossible conundrum: do you talk about it all on stage, or ignore it entirely?
Al Horner speaks to Hollywood insiders and Oscar winners Adam McKay and Graham Moore about the biggest elephant in the room this awards season.
Read more here:
Saturday 1 March 2025 17:30
,
Jacob Stolworthy
‘The Independent’ has gone head-to-head on all things Oscars, to decide what’s overrated and what’s underrated.
Watch along as Jacob Stolworthy and Annabel Nugent discuss Demi Moore’s long-awaited Best Actress nod, why Gladiator II might not be as bad as you think and *that* kiss between Adrien Brody and Halle Berry.
We also ask: asre the Oscars overrated or an overly long snooze-fest?
Let’s battle it out.
How to watch the 2025 Oscars
Saturday 1 March 2025 16:31
,
Jacob Stolworthy
The 97th Academy Awards are about to be more accessible than ever before.
For the first time ever, the 2025 Oscars ceremony will air on ABC and be streamed live on Hulu at the same time. The annual awards show, which has aired on the broadcast network for a whopping 50 years, can be streamed by all Hulu subscribers starting at 7 p.m. ET on March 2, 2025. The Oscars will also be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
Why ‘The Brutalist’ deserves to win Best Picture
Saturday 1 March 2025 15:30
,
Jacob Stolworthy
The dense and stylish period epic starring Adrien Brody is going i
