Another Oscar season mired in controversy.

An unpredictable and tumultuous 2025 Oscar season is about to begin, with scandals plaguing most of the top contenders for the prestigious Best Picture award.

Almost every year, the Oscar races are marred by controversies leading up to the awards season - Photo: AFP

Oscar 2025 Set to take place on March 3rd, the most anticipated film event of the year is currently besieged by scandals that are affecting the reputations of the leading contenders.

These controversies revolve around the quality of the nominated films, the pressing issues surrounding the use of AI in production, and more.

A controversial Best Picture nominee

When Emilia Pérez Leading with 13 Oscar nominations, no one expected the film's promotional campaign to be in crisis because of Karla Sofía Gascón's old social media posts.

Hate speech on social media has thrust the actress into the eye of criticism, putting Netflix in an awkward position as the film was once a high-profile contender for Best Picture.

Actress Karla Sofía Gascón in Emilia Pérez; she is the first transgender actress ever to be nominated in this prestigious category - Photo: Netflix

Last week, journalist Sarah Hagi brought up old tweets by Sofía Gascón, in which she made offensive remarks about Muslims, called George Floyd a "drug addict scammer," and mocked the 2021 Academy Awards.

Despite quickly apologizing, Sofía Gascón didn't stop there, continuing her online feud with netizens on Instagram and asserting that she would not withdraw from the Oscar race.

This event only added fuel to the fire, especially since things had already gone wrong. Emilia Pérez It was seen as an "Oscar bait," receiving high praise from critics but heavy criticism from audiences.

According to internal sources of According to The Guardian , Netflix has now shifted its Oscar campaign focus to Zoe Saldaña, Gascón's co-star in the film, to mitigate losses.

However, public opinion remained heated, especially when critics compared Gascón to Donald Trump because of her defiant statements.

The newspaper New York Times This scandalous assessment reflects a new trend at the Oscars: debates surrounding nominated films are no longer orchestrated by traditional campaigns but are instead fueled by social media.

Emilia Perez was a controversial film throughout the 2024-2025 awards season, consistently winning big despite failing to satisfy some critics and audiences - Photo: Netflix

The controversies surrounding The Brutalist good Anora Similar surges have occurred in the past, demonstrating the power of online communities in shaping the current and future Oscar race.

With Netflix ceasing to sponsor Sofía Gascón's appearances at events in the US, her future and Emilia Pérez What happens at this year's Oscars is still a big question mark.

However, one thing is certain: from now on, studios will have to be more cautious about the digital footprint of candidates before entering this prestigious race.

The future of AI technology at the Oscars

AI technology has become an integral part of the film industry. AI tools are now widely used to support visual effects (VFX), face replacement, voice editing, and image optimization.

Some notable films include A Complete Unknown, Dune: Part Two and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga AI has been applied to improve image quality, saving time and production costs.

Notable blockbusters of 2024 such as Dune: Part Two and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga are using AI to improve the production process - Photo: Warner Bros.

For example, in In Furiosa , AI helps to smoothly transform the main character's face from child to adult, while Dune: Part Two AI was used to recreate the blue color in the eyes of the Fremen characters.

The debate erupted when The Brutalist They were found to have used AI to edit some Hungarian dialogue without publishing it.

Director Brady Corbet asserted that AI was only used to fine-tune the sound, and did not interfere with the performances of Adrien Brody or Felicity Jones.

Meanwhile, Emilia Pérez The use of AI in post-production has also been noted, raising concerns about transparency in the filmmaking process.

The director of The Brutalist asserts that AI does not affect the artistic value of the film - Photo: IMDb

According to Variety reports that industry experts believe that while AI can help improve film quality, transparency regarding its use is necessary to ensure fairness, especially during awards season.

In an interview with the newspaper Variety , a veteran member of the Academy, emphasized: “Award decisions must be based on human contribution. AI technology can assist, but it cannot completely replace artists.”

Following the aforementioned events, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering adjusting the Oscar rules, requiring films to disclose their use of artificial intelligence (AI).

This is an attempt to find a balance between technological innovation and fairness in the evaluation of works.

Currently, this announcement is optional, but the Academy is considering making it a mandatory requirement starting with the 2026 Oscars.

The nominees overlooked by the Oscars.

Almost as an annual tradition, shortly after the 2025 Oscar nominations are announced, a wave of controversy erupts on social media as several highly-rated actors and films are unexpectedly excluded from the race.

Most notably, Daniel Craig ( Queer ) and Zendaya ( Challengers ) were absent from the major categories.

Daniel Craig (famous for his role as Agent 007) is expected to receive a Best Actor nomination for his role in Queer Directed by Luca Guadagnino.

Daniel Craig delivered a breakthrough performance in Queer, and since the 007 series, he has consistently taken on challenging roles - Photo: Belvedere

According to many critics, Lee's portrayal of a gay man in 1940s Mexico is the most nuanced and emotionally resonant performance of his career.

Although many major newspapers such The Washington Post, The New Yorker ... all agree with this view. Daniel Craig Still not nominated for an Oscar.

Additionally, Zendaya was also excluded from the Best Actress category despite her impressive performance in Challengers .

Released in early 2024, director Guadagnino's film is a dramatic story revolving around love, competition, and passion in professional sports , and is expected by the media to receive many nominations.

Zendaya in the movie The Challengers - Photo: Warner Bros

Not only was Zendaya excluded, but the film was also rejected from important categories such as Best Original Score, even though the music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross had previously received a Golden Globe nomination.

HuffPost critic Ryan Rodriguez called the Challengers' actions a disservice. forgotten It is "confusing" and raises questions about the Oscars' criteria for recognizing breakthrough films.

On social media, many film enthusiasts expressed disappointment, arguing that the Academy is still not truly open to films with LGBTQ+ themes or unconventional stories.

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