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The line its an honor to just be nominated is a cliche, but it’s certainly true that landing an Oscar nomination comes with prestige, attention, and lots of award-season press coverage on the stories behind every film. But for Union, a documentary film that follows the historic efforts of a group of Amazon warehouse workers as they launchand winthe first-ever union campaign at the retail giant, theres a story in the fact that they werent nominated. When the creative team behind Union first embedded with Amazon Staten Island warehouse workers in 2020, they werent looking to make a buzzy, commercial film. They raised their full budget before the Amazon Labor Union even won its election. They were committed, producer Samantha Curley says, to documenting this particular labor struggle, and asking questions about the modern workforce and how people are politicized through work, long before it was clear just how big the story would become. But then they were there to capture that win, and they were ready with years of footage of Chris Smalls, the campaigns intrepid leader, before he became an overnight labor celebrityheading to the White House and onto the Daily Show and as the subject of major media coverage. And it seemed like their documentary could actually be marketableand big. They premiered at Sundance 2024, and won the festivals U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for the Art of Change. We really felt like there wasn’t a reason that it wouldn’t get picked up or distributed, Curley says. They knew Amazons streaming service wouldnt buy the film, of course, but they figured other places might. [Photo: Martin DiCicco] Distributors didnt clamor to pick it up, though. In fact, the filmmakers got pass after pass. Not even were waiting to see or its a soft pass or just not hearing back, but hard nos, relatively quickly, Curley says. So they pivoted to an independent self release, partnering with 250 labor organizations and affinity groups to screen the film for one night or limited runs in more than 20 cities. Those screenings often sold out, meaning Union was the highest-grossing film for the theaters on those nights. They held showings followed by Q&As with Amazon Labor Union workers, and screened the film near Amazon warehouses. They did an online rental release where viewers could donate so that an Amazon worker could watch the film for free. In this way, Unions distribution became a story in itself, mirroring the one the film toldabout the power of organizing, how a small group of people can make a big impact, and who institutional systems really work for. Curley says none of the big distributions actually even said anything about Amazon. What we gathered, that was never explicitly stated, was that it was really about labor, she says. [Photo: Martin DiCicco] The Amazon Labor Union was just one part of a bigger wave of organizing taking place. Around the same time, Apple retail workers began organizing (and got their first contract in 2024), as did Disney park characters (who voted to unionize in 2024). Major actions from the United AutoWorkers, Hollywood actors and writers, and more dominated the news cycle of the past few years. This idea of the labor movement and worker power is so relevant and threatening that, I thinkand again, this wasn’t ever explicitly statedbut what we took from those conversations [with distributors] was like, these distributors don’t want people pointing the finger at them any moreso than they already are, Curley says. Generally, some were also shying away from political contentthough Curley doesnt think that Union, or the experience of watching it, is overtly political. If youre reading the film that way, its definitely present, but I think the film is about group projects, and about the audacious belief that we can make anything better, or we can change anything about our circumstances, she says. Even though the film itself focuses on Amazon, it offers a broad perspective of the labor movement at large. It is pretty insular to this group of Amazon organizers in Staten Island, Curley says, but we worked really hard to remind viewers this is just one small part of this huge machine. The timing of the film speaks to this as well: its not a 10-year retrospective of a historic moment, but came out amid an ongoing labor resurgence. We wanted the film to become part of the conversation about the future of work and labor organizing. After all that effort, Union did manage to get shortlisted for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar nominations. We were really fortunate to have such strong support and guidance within the awards campaign, and belief that the film coud really be in the conversation, Curley says. Being shortlisted did increase the films visibility, boost its independent distribution path, and give the participants some validation, she adds, for all the time they committed to the project. [Photo: Martin DiCicco] It would have been cool and a different journey to have been nominated,” she adds, but not being nominated “allows us to continue to balance the kind of prestige of the film with the real collective effort and struggle to get the film out there.” (The film’s creative team, along with Curley, includes producer Mars Verrone, cinematographer and producer Martin Dicicco, directors Stephen Maing and Brett Story, editors Blair McClendon and Malika Zouhali-Worrall, and composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe.) Its also an opportunity for the film to keep paving its own way. An Oscars appearance can seem like an ending: a grand culmination of effort. But Unions story isnt over. The team is already thinking about its next phase of distribution, and has plans tied to May Day and Labor Day. Its outside of the awards circuit, and so can tell its story beyond awards season. Now we just get to be a film thats trying to reach audiences, Curley says. Amazon workers’ fight isn’t over either; more than two years after unionizing, they still don’t have a contract. (Workers authorized a strike at the end of 2024 as part of its efforts to get the retail giant to negotiate.) And the larger conversation about labor isnt ending either; though the Trump administration is taking steps to dismantle the labor movement and erase worker power, those threats are also bolstering conversations about the importance of workers rights, and the power of collective organizing. The film might focus on Amazon, but really it highlights this dichotomy, she notes, of how organizing is essential and also impossible. The film shows the Staten Island warehouse win, yes, but also how the Amazon Labor Union lost its next two elections, and how infighting and burnout start to appear among the organizers. It ends by showing the very beginnings of yet another campaign at a warehouse in California. Its this idea of, we just spend time with this small group of workers, and [this is] going to be happening with workers at every company and every part of the world, Curley says, and that being inspiring and daunting.
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Despite a traumatic beginning of the year from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, Los Angeles is ready to celebrate one of its largest exports: movies. Hollywoods biggest bash, the 97th Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will air tonight, March 2, at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET. The action is taking place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. Lets get up to speed so you can watch like an A-lister: How the L.A. fires impacted the 2025 Oscars The fires delayed the Oscar nominations announcement twice and extended the nominations voting period. And though the actual awards ceremony date was not affected, the annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon was canceled out of sensitivity to the Southern California community, and the Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony had to be rescheduled from February 18 to April 29. Notable 2025 Oscar nominees Emilia Pérez dominates the Oscars with 13 nominations, making it the most nominated non-English movie in Oscar history. Jacques Audiards crime musical was once considered a tight contender for best picture, but controversy surrounding its star Karla Sofía Gascón’s raft of offensive tweets is expected to impact its chances (although it just won best film and best director at the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, on Friday in Paris). Gascón is the first openly trans actor to be nominated for an Oscar. Tied for second place with 10 nominations is Brady Corbets immigrant story The Brutalist and Jon M. Chus musical Wicked, both nominated for best picture. This is the first time two musicals have been in the best picture category since 1969 with Oliver! and Funny Girl. (Oliver! won.) With eight nominations each, A Complete Unknown and Conclave are also up for best picture. You can find a complete list of the 2025 Oscar nominees on the Academy’s website. Who is hosting the 2025 Oscars? Comedian, former late-night host, and podcaster Conan OBrien is taking on hosting duties this year for the first time. The two-time Emmy Awards host revealed that he’s never even attended the Academy Awards before. “I only agreed to host so that I could get invited,” O’Brien said (jokingly?) during a news conference Wednesday. He will get backup from presenters including Oprah Winfrey, Ben Stiller, Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, John Lithgow, and Amy Poehler. Keeping with tradition, last years top acting winners, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, DaVine Joy Randolph, and Emma Stone will also present. Who are the musical performers? Historically, the best original song nominees were performed during the ceremony. This year, the Academy is shaking things up and having songwriters share their personal reflections instead. That doesnt mean the music stops. Wickeds Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will open up the night with a musical performance. Lisa of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, Doja Cat, and Raye are also cooking up something special. Who are some favorites to win this year? There have been lots of twists and turns leading up to the big night. Some categories, such as best supporting actor and actress, feel almost inevitable. Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaa will almost certainly walk away with Oscars in these categories. Best picture, actor, and actress are more unpredictable. In the actor race, Oscar-winner Adrien Brody seemed the front-runner until last weekends SAG Awards upset when Timothée Chalamet took home the honor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. Traditionally, the Oscars don’t like to honor younger artists, but the times could be a-changin’. In the actress category, Demi Moore of The Substance and Mikey Madison of Anora have split the precursor awards. Moores heartfelt speeches at SAG, Critics Choice, and the Golden Globes ceremonies charmed audiences. But don’t count Madison out; she took home the BAFTA and Independent Spirit Awards trophies for best actress. Further complicating the issue, some critics are predicting a surprise third choice, Im Still Heres Fernanda Torres. This is truly anyones race. Best picture is also uncertain. Sean Baker’s Anora seemed to be a safe bet because of its PGA, DGA, and WGA wins, but Conclaves SAG and BAFTA wins might make a case for Edward Berger’s papal thriller. How can I watch or stream the 2025 Oscars? There are many ways to see what film comes out on top. The most straightforward for those with traditional cable TV subscriptions is to tune into ABC at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m ET. You can also watch it for free on ABC with an over-the-air antenna. For the first time ever, cord-cutters can also stream the Oscars live directly on Hulu, which is offering a free trial for new subscribers. Or catch the show on one of the live-TV streaming services that offer ABC as part of a bundle: Sling TV (in some markets) Fubo TV YouTube TV Hulu + Live TV
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Sometimes, authenticity can be a films most special effect. It took months for Best Actress front-runner Mikey Madison to learn how to pole dance like the titular exotic dancer in Anora and for her fellow nominee Timothée Chalamet to passably play guitar as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. The naturalism of both performances helped keep audiences under the spell cast by their surrounding films. So, it should probably come as no surprise that a backlash has emerged in response to several of this years Oscar-nominated films using AI, paradoxically, to achieve authenticity. The reaction began on January 11, when editor Dávid Jancsó revealed in an interview that he and director Brady Corbet had used AI voice technology to make Oscar favorite The Brutalist. The film stars Adrien Brody as Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth, who, after surviving the Holocaust, emigrated to the U.S. where he is joined years later by his wife, Erzsébet, played by Felicity Jones. Although both actors, each of whom are nominated for Oscars, underwent vocal coaching to make the Hungarian dialogue roll off their tongues, according to Jancsó it just didnt work. The creators ended up using Respeecher, a Ukraine-based AI voice-cloning tool, to enhance Brody and Joness accents. This revelation provoked an online uproar so intense that Corbet issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter days later, downplaying AIs significance in the making of the film. The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicitys performances in another language, not to replace or alter them, and done with the utmost respect for the craft, the director said in his statement. In the weeks since The Brutalist came under the microscope, similar revelations have tumbled out regarding other Oscar-nominated films. In a recently surfaced French-language interview from last years Cannes festival, for instance, rerecording mixer Cyril Holtz disclosed that trans musical Emilia Pérez, the most-nominated film in this years Oscar crop, also used Respeecher to enhance star Karla Sofía Gascóns singing voice. (Emilia Pérez has far bigger fish to fry in terms of backlash, however, given Gascóns shocking history of inflammatory tweets.) Leaning on AI to zhuzh up an actors performance has proven controversial this year, due to the technologys rapid encroachment into traditionally human-created art. Some worry that AI will deprive film workers at various levels of jobs in the name of cost-cutting, while others fear it will usher in an era of cinematic soullessness. (Those folks have apparently never seen any of the ostensibly AI-free blockbusters shot entirely on green screen.) Indeed, part of the reason the writers and actors strikes of 2023 went on for so long was because of the difficulty in securing protections against AI. Ultimately, the strikes succeeded in placing guardrails around the techs use in generating scripts and requiring consent and compensation for using an actor’s likeness. Visual artists and animators have won no such protections yet, though. Considering all the looming fears about an unemployment crisis in film and TV art departments, its no wonder the use of AI in visual effects has proven especially unpopular recently. The acclaimed 2024 horror film Late Night with the Devil came under fire last spring for using AI to quickly create three briefly shown images; around the same time, the A24 thriller Civil War generated controversy for using AI just in its poster art. Now, the debate about the ethics of movie imagery that uses AI has reached the Oscars too. Since the brouhaha began over The Brutalists AI vocal enhancement, revelations have spilled out about other films using AI for visual effects. (Brutalist editor Jancsó also claimed in his infamous interview that some blueprints and finished buildings depicted in the film were partially AI-generated, though director Corbet disputes this.) When Australia-based Rising Sun Pictures submitted its work on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga for an award at the 2025 Visual Effects Society Awards, the company boasted about using its Revize machine learning toolset to create effects for A Complete Unknown, adding a new dimension to the Oscars AI conversation. (As an individual familiar with the film told Indiewire, “The technology was used to assist in three brief wide shots on a motorcycle, not involving performance or creative enhancements. This technology is commonplace for making stunt people resemble their actor in films.) On a similar note, another film nominated for multiple Oscars and starring Chalamet, Dune: Part Two, also used machine learning to create the striking ice-blue eye color of its Fremen characters. How much should any of this matter? Perhaps not that much. Its not as if whole chunks of any of these films were created using OpenAIs text-to-video tool Sora or Googles Veo 2. Instead, the AI-infused visual effects are minimal and seem in line with the kind of VFX ork thats been rocking multiplexes for decades. Furthermore, the vocal tune-up in The Brutalist is limited to the few scenes where Brody and Jones actually speak in Hungarian. (For the bulk of the film, they talk in heavily accented English.) And as for Gascóns juiced singing in Emilia Pérez, Rami Malek won an Oscar in 2019 for playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, and only a stunt vocalist contributed any real singing to that film. But at least the stunt vocalist was human. As the use of AI seems increasingly inevitable in film and TVs future, despite the pronounced ongoing backlash, purists might decide to draw a line in the sandboycotting any and all projects that utilize it. As if to accommodate them, the Motion Picture Academy is reportedly weighing a rule that would require filmmakers to disclose when their films use AI. In the meantime, some arent waiting around for such rules to be implemented and are instead taking the opposite tact. When the A24 horror movie Heretic came out last fall, it bore the following caption in its end credits: No generative AI was used in the making of this film.
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