From 'The Apprentice' to 'Wicked,' These Are the Most Political Oscar Nominations Ever

This year's contenders for the film industry's top awards represent a variety of genres and styles. But many have one thing in common: they discuss controversial topics with exuberant energy.

A slew of fantastic films were nominated for Academy Awards this year, from brilliant Broadway musicals to fact-based South American dramas, from hilarious farces about strippers to impressionistic period pieces set in Florida reform schools. From a distance, Oscar voters seem to cover just about every genre and mood a movie has to offer. But when you look closer, you'll see that many of the nominees have something in common that's worth noting. In their own unique way, these films explore contemporary issues with enough ferocity to make this one of the most political selections in Oscar history.

in the case of apprenticethe political aspect is inevitable. Ali Abbasi's film is a controversial biopic of newly inaugurated President Donald Trump, focusing on his years as an aspiring real estate tycoon in New York. October, Trump condemn this movie Called a “cheap, slanderous, politically disgusting villain.” The Academy seems to like the movie: “The Apprentice” received two acting nominations, one for Sebastian Stan, who plays Trump himself, and another for co-starring Jeremy Trump, who plays Trump's mentor. strong. Roy Cohn.

The other nominees weren't as blatantly political—in fact, many of them were great precisely because they approached politics from unexpected angles—but they weren't as vocal in making points that might anger some viewers. timid. The film with the most Oscar nominations this year is emilia perezis a French musical directed by Jacques Audiard. It received 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, was the first transgender person to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. Women, that's quite a statement in the week since Trump signed the order Claims there are only two genders It is recognized in the United States and cannot be changed. What's more, “El Mal,” which earned an Oscar nomination for its brilliant musical numbers, is an angry rebuke of corrupt politicians and other prominent figures.

“I'm Still Here” also achieved surprisingly good results. Walter Salles' Brazilian drama not only received a nomination in the Best International Feature category that most critics were expecting, but it also received a nomination in the main Best Picture category. Its star, Fernanda Torres, was nominated for Best Actress. The honors will give the film a huge publicity boost, a thoughtful treatise on the importance of mental toughness and tirelessness in the face of a totalitarian regime.

With their own brighter colors and more flattering fashions, evil There are similar themes. Nominated for ten different categories, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Score, the film at first glance appears to be a lesson in kindness to the vulnerable. But like this movie, it's a prequel, The Wizard of OzIn depicting the wizard as a selfish ruler who uses fear and deception to control his people, it makes a provocative statement about the nature of power.

Just go on like this. Brady Corbet's “The Brutal,” about a Hungarian Jewish architect who struggles to survive after World War II, also received ten nominations, including best picture, best director and best actor. The story of America finding its feet, and Sean Baker's “Anora,” which was nominated for six awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress, is about a day in New York today. A sex worker. But they both focused on the immigrant experience and the rights of the super-rich.

LaMel Rose's nickel boyAdapted from Colson Whitehead's novel, which won Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, it doesn't feel like a standard period drama thanks to its bold use of first-person perspective, but its theme is racism in America. The past—and how it happened. The past affects the present. Greg Cuidal's SingThe film was endorsed by star Colman Domingo and adapted from the script, telling the true story of a theater company for incarcerated people. It doesn't mention racism at all, but the fact that almost all of the characters are black and working-class speaks volumes about the reality of America's prisons: Pew Research Center 2020 The data shows that at the end of 2018, there were 2,272 prisoners per 100,000 black men, compared with 392 prisoners per 100,000 white men.

even Dune: Part 2 Nominated for five awards, including best picture, the film takes on thornier themes of religion and leadership than your average sci-fi blockbuster. Most years, there are one or two overtly political films nominated for Oscars, such as the anti-capitalist satire 2023’s Triangle and 2024’s The Triangle, Martin Scorsese’s take on Native American exploitation. Dark Reckoning “Killers of the Flower Moon”. In 2025, films like these are the norm, no longer the exception.

The question now is whether these political nominations will translate into political awards shows. Oscar acceptance speeches have traditionally shied away from anything more controversial than calls for more diversity on film sets, as Frances McDormand won in 2018 for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Award for Best Actress. When the Oscar winner does mention American politics, she does so. They're likely to get mixed reviews, as Michael Moore did when he criticized George W. Bush in his acceptance speech for the 2003 best documentary winner “Bowling for Columbine.” But it feels like things might be different this year. The most exciting part of the March awards show may not be seeing who wins, but hearing what they said when they won.