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The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards were announced Thursday — and the list is decidedly politics-heavy.
From a Vatican intrigue thriller, to a documentary about an assassinated Congolese freedom fighter, to a certain New York real estate tycoon-turned-president’s biopic, these are the political flicks that received an Oscars nod.
The Apprentice
Before he was the president of the United States, Donald Trump was a young, ruthlessly ambitious real estate developer in New York City.
“The Apprentice,” starring Romanian-American actor Sebastian Stan in a blond wig and a whole lot of foundation, begins in the early 1970s and charts Trump’s rise and tumultuous personal life, with scenes depicting him taking drugs, getting a hair transplant and sexually assaulting his wife, Ivana.
The film is not a flattering portrayal, to say the least; Trump himself called it a “politically disgusting hatchet job” and his campaign threatened legal action to stop it from being released. Stan is up for Best Actor and Jeremy Strong, who plays Trump’s shady mentor Roy Cohn, for Best Supporting Actor.
Conclave
“Conclave” stars Ralph Fiennes, better known as Voldemort, as a Catholic cardinal enveloped in a shadowy world of secrets, lies and papal politics.
The film was slammed by some Catholic groups and conservative figures, including former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, who called it a “disgusting anti-Catholic film.”
It’s nominated in eight categories, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Fiennes and Best Supporting Actress for Italian actor Isabella Rossellini, who plays a quietly powerful nun.
Porcelain War
Nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category, this Ukrainian documentary delves into the resilience of Ukrainian artists amidst the Russian occupation, highlighting the role of art as a form of resistance.
The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize. It has since earned widespread praise, holding a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
This documentary film by Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez tells the story of the assassination of former Congolese Prime Minister and independence leader Patrice Lumumba and the web of lies and intrigues surrounding it.
The documentary received the Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where the jury described the film as “a bold and ambitious way to grapple with a complex story.”
No Other Land
This film, created by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, portrays the devastation of the Masafer Yatta region in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces, and follows the bond that forms between Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval.
The documentary already won major awards such as the Panorama Audience Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in November, and Best Feature Documentary at the International Documentary Association Awards in December.
Emilia Pérez
“Emilia Pérez” is a Spanish-language crime musical written by French director Jacques Audiard that explores the journey of a Mexican cartel boss through her gender-affirmation surgery.
This bold film leads the Oscars race with an impressive 13 nominations and comes at a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts are facing political backlash, as well as the rise of “anti-Wokeisme” sentiment in France.
And, lest we forget …
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
… a film that, at its heart, warns of the dangers of tech deregulation. It’s up for Best Animated Feature.
