France Picks Musical Drama ‘Emilia Perez’ for 2025 Oscars

France has chosen Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set musical drama “Emilia Perez” to represent the country in the best international feature category at the 2025 Academy Awards. This is an attempt to sing its way to a victory in the category for the first time in more than 30 years.

The primarily Spanish-language song-filled film is about cartel leader Emilia, who enlists an unappreciated lawyer to help fake her death so Emilia can live authentically as her true self. It won both the Cannes Jury prize for director Audiard and a shared best actress award for its female cast Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana, and Adriana Paz, and has since played at Telluride and Toronto. It next heads to the New York Film Festival, which starts later this month.

The film is produced by Pascal Caucheteux of Why Not Productions and Audiard and Valérie Schermann of Page 114. Le Pacte released “Emilia Perez” in France on August 21, where it has sold 760,000 tickets to date. The film will premiere in select theaters this autumn before heading to Netflix in the US, UK, and Canada on November 13.

High Stakes

The stakes are high after last year’s best international feature submission from France was the source of controversy when Tran Anh Hung’s culinary romance “The Taste Of Things” was chosen over Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or-winning “Anatomy Of A Fall”. The latter went on to earn five nominations in other categories and took home the award for best screenplay, leaving the selection committee to face criticism over the country missing out on an opportunity to earn what would have been its first Oscar in the category in more than 30 years.

France hasn’t won a best international feature Academy Award since 1993 for Regis Warner’s “Indochine” and hasn’t been nominated since Ladj Ly’s “Les Misérables” in 2020.

Other Entries

Several other French co-productions are in play in the best international feature race, including Mati Diop’s Berlin Golden Bear-winning documentary “Dahomey” for Senegal, Miguel Gomes’ Cannes best director prize-winning “Grand Tour” for Portugal, Min Bahadur Bham’s Berlin Competition title “Shambhala” for Nepal, Rithy Panh’s “Meeting With Pol Pot” for Cambodia, Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” for Latvia, and Nabil Ayouch’s “Everybody Loves Touda” for Morocco.

While not selected from France’s shortlist, Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light” is a potential entry for India.

Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will unveil its 15-film shortlist for the best international feature category on December 17, and the five nominees will be announced on January 17, 2025, ahead of the March 2 ceremony.

Conclusion

France’s selection of “Emilia Perez” is a bold move, and the country hopes to break its 30-year drought in the best international feature category. With its rich cultural heritage and talented filmmakers, France is well-positioned to make a strong showing at the Oscars.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the significance of the Academy Awards for France?

A: The Academy Awards are a prestigious honor in the film industry, and a win in the best international feature category would be a significant achievement for France.

Q: Who is Jacques Audiard?

A: Jacques Audiard is a French film director and screenwriter known for his critically acclaimed films, including “A Prophet” and “The Sisters Brothers”.

Q: What is the plot of “Emilia Perez”?

A: The film is about cartel leader Emilia, who enlists an unappreciated lawyer to help fake her death so Emilia can live authentically as her true self.

Q: What is the significance of the Cannes Jury prize for director Audiard?

A: The Cannes Jury prize is a prestigious award given to the director of the best film at the Cannes Film Festival. Audiard’s win is a testament to the high quality of “Emilia Perez”.