News

The nominees for the 97th Academy Awards have finally been announced after a short delay due to the recent fires in Los Angeles, and the controversial Netflix musical Emilia Pérez has made history by setting a record for the most nominations for a non-English language film with 13 nods. The French production of the Spanish-language musical crime thriller racked up all kinds of accolades on the festival circuit before it was released on Netflix back in Nov. 2024, and after having taken home four Golden Globe Awards earlier this month, its Oscar chances are now better than ever.

Despite the controversy surrounding the film in the LGBTQ+ and Latine communities, and over the recent revelation that AI was used in the production, Emilia Pérez earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Karla Sofía Gascón), Best Director (Jacques Audiard), Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña) Adapted Screenplay, Music (Original Score), Makeup and Hairstyling, Cinematography,...

Emilia Pérez had quite a contentious win at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards. The French-made, primarily Spanish language musical beat fan favorites like Anora, Wicked, and The Substance for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy, despite containing what many have deemed controversial material. Emilia Pérez, essentially, follows the story of Emilia Pérez, a former cartel kingpin in Mexico who undergoes gender-affirming surgery and leaves her crime-ridden past behind with the help of a corrupt lawyer, all told through an absurdist musical style.

The film stars Karla Sofía Gascón in the titular role, as well as a supporting cast of the likes of Zoe Saldaña ( who took home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress), Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. With such forces and wins behind it, why has Emilia Pérez been so polarizing?Here's a breakdown.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

3.5/5 Emilia Perez CrimeDramaComedyMusic...

The 82nd Golden Globes is now in the books, and two nominees, in particular, have a lot to celebrate — Emilia Pérez and Shōgun. Both the film and television series led the night with four Golden Globes wins each.

Emilia Pérez came into the Awards show with a whopping 10 nominations, so its success shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, and Shōgun was the second-most-nominated television series behind The Bear. However, Shōgun won each of its four nominations — Best Television Series - Drama, Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series - Drama, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series - Drama, and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television. Notably, both the acclaimed film and television series are already on streaming platforms.

As a Netflix original film, Emilia Pérez has been streaming on the platform since November 13, 2024, following its...

The 82nd Golden Globes is now in the books, and two nominees, in particular, have a lot to celebrate — Emilia Pérez and Shōgun. Both the film and television series led the night with four Golden Globes wins each.

Emilia Pérez came into the Awards show with a whopping 10 nominations, so its success shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, and Shōgun was the second-most-nominated television series behind The Bear. However, Shōgun won each of its four nominations — Best Television Series - Drama, Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series - Drama, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series - Drama, and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television. Notably, both the acclaimed film and television series are already on streaming platforms.

As a Netflix original film, Emilia Pérez has been streaming on the platform since November 13, 2024, following its...

Netflix’s Emilia Pérez could be about to sweep awards season. The main trio of actresses that drive the story are nominated in the early rounds of red carpets and awards ceremonies, namely the Golden Globes — with ten noms — as well as the BAFTAs — where it leads the longlist with Conclave.

After entering the conversation in May 2024, the Spanish musical crime comedy arrived on Netflix last November. For all the details about the work that stars Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña and more, read below:

What is Emilia Pérez about?

The story follows Saldaña’s Rita, a lawyer who is overqualified but also overlooked at her large law firm, which aims more just to get criminals out of trouble than to actually serve them justice. Rita gets an unexpected opportunity to exit this situation when Manitas (Karla Sofía Gascón), the leader of a notorious cartel, hires her to help him withdraw...

Netflix found a lot of success with the acclaimed movie Emilia Pérez, and its latest accolade is some pretty high praise from revered filmmaker James Cameron.

In an interview for the Ringer Movies podcast, the Titanic, Terminator 2, and Aliens director shared his thoughts on Emilia Pérez. Though Cameron must be very busy, given his continued work on multiple Avatar sequels, he still made time to give Emilia Pérez repeated viewings. The director also praised the movie for its originality, describing it as a one-of-a-kind film that just was not like any other that he'd ever seen before.

Related 'I Heard [James Cameron] Was Angry': Josh Brolin Clarifies Reason He Refused Avatar 2 Role

Director James Cameron reportedly resented the Dune actor for rejecting the role.

"What I saw that blew me away was Emilia Pérez. I have seen it three times now," Cameron said while discussing recent movies with veteran producer Gale Anne Hurd.

2024 has been an excellent year for movies of all genres - there have been some great blockbuster films that finally brought audiences back to the theaters, and plenty of more subtle indie hits that are now gathering steady acclaim for the 2025 Oscars and awards season. But throughout all of this, 2024’s catalog has been filled with moving stories that have stirred audiences’ emotions and made us cry. Several of these films have even been among the highest-grossing movies of 2024.

There’s no clear recipe for how to make the audience cry, but rather it comes from authentic, human stories that project an important message through their characters. This isn’t easily done, and in many ways, making the audience cry is a clear indicator that any drama has achieved its goal fairly well. It proves that there’s some compassion and universality in the story, which is all that anybody could hope for.

Selena Gomez, former star of Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place and current star of Only Murders in the Building, has been nominated for two Golden Globes. One was for her performance in the latter show, while the second was for her work in Netflix's Emilia Perez.

The Netflix musical crime-drama follows a cartel leader who undergoes a gender transition to retire from their life of crime and begin life anew. The film has received numerous nominations and has been well-received by audiences and critics - though there has been some criticism directed towards Gomez and her use of Spanish in the film.

Related 10 Funniest Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Scenes, Ranked

Only Murders in the Building is not only a brilliant mystery show but also one of the most hilarious shows streaming right now.

Criticism of Selena Gomez’ performance has come from the Spanish language podcast Hablando de Cine.

Emilia Prez has divided audiences upon its release to Netflix. Directed by Jacques Audiard, Emilia Prez is a crime comedy musical about a lawyer in Mexico who gets offered the opportunity to help a notorious cartel boss make a gender transition to become the woman she has always been. The film features a leading cast including Zoe Saldaa, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofia Gascon, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, Edgar Ramirez, and Eduardo Aladro. The film received a limited release in theaters and was put on Netflix today, November 13.

Following this release to Netflix, Emilia Prez has evoked a mixed response from viewers. On the one hand, some people were emotionally moved by the film and thought it was among the best movies of this year. On the contrary, its detractors called the film everything from "boring" to "batshit insane." One clip in particular, which includes a musical number wherein Saldaa's character...

One of the buzziest films this awards season, Emilia Prez is set to drop on Netflix on November 13. Directed by Jacques Audiard, it is a French-made musical crime film following the titular Emilia (played by Karla Sofa Gascn), a cartel kingpin who hires a lawyer (Zoe Saldaa) to help her transition to being the woman she has always wanted to be and start a new life.

It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival early in 2024, winning Best Actress for its ensemble cast, including Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz. Emilia Prez was also up for the Palme d'Or (which ultimately went to Sean Baker's Anora) and took home a directing jury prize for Audiard. Notably, Gascn also became the first openly trans actor to win an acting award at the Cannes Festival.

If the film's reception overseas was not enough of an indicator of its critical success so far, Emilia...

This review was originally published on September 13, 2024, as a part of our Toronto International Film Festival coverage.

Emilia Prez is a film that defies classification. It is, all at once, a narco crime saga, a melodrama, and a pop opera tackling themes of identity, redemption, and evolution. It's wrapped in over-the-top musical theatrics, too, with the movie beginning with Zoe Saldaa's under-appreciated lawyer Rita performing a song about a murder case in the neon-lit streets of Mexico. From there, it gets even bolder.

Emilia Perez

Director Jacques AudiardRelease Date November 13, 2024Studio(s) The Veterans, Pimienta Films, Lpi Media, Page 114, Saint Laurent, Path, Why Not Productions, France 2 CinmaWriters La Mysius, Jacques Audiard, Thomas BidegainCast Karla Lazo, Pascal Toussirot, Line Ph, Stphane Ly-Cuong, Chun-Ting Lin, Agathe Bokja, Eric Geynes, James Gerard, Emiliano Edmundo Hasan Jalil, Eduardo Aladro, Karla Sofa Gascn, Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldana, Edgar Ramirez, Mark Ivanir, Selena GomezRuntime 130 MinutesGenres Drama,...