Some Surprising Shut Outs At The 2025 Oscars
Whether it was for Best Picture, one of the acting categories, writing, or music, these films seemed to be shoo-ins for at least one Oscar nod. Unfortunately, many films that were both critical and fan favorites were ignored completely. Sometimes Oscar nominations are obvious but here are some films that were surprisingly left out of contention.
Challengers
Director Luca Guadagnino had two acclaimed films released in 2024, Queer, and Challengers. The latter film received the most attention and pundits thought that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score was a lock for Best Original Score. In the end, Challengers was completely shut out.
Queer
While Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers was being touted as a sure Best Original Score nominee, Guadagnino’s Queer was tapped as an obvious Best Actor nod for Daniel Craig. Never before nominated for an Oscar, Craig’s performance in Queer is considered his best-ever work. In the end, however, Craig’s name was not among the five Best Actor nominees.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road won six Academy Awards out of 10 nominations at the 2016 ceremony, and it was assumed that the follow-up, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga would fare just as well. Even in categories such as costume design, editing, makeup and hairstyling, production design, sound editing and sound mixing—all of which Mad Max: Fury Road won in 2016—Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ended up with no nominations.
Warner Bros., Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Hard Truths
Mike Leigh’s long-awaited Hard Truths was a critical success and Leigh had seven previous Oscar nominations. Marianne Jean-Baptiste was considered an obvious contender for Best Actress, having won awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and a Best Actress nomination at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA). In the end, Hard Truths was left with no nominations.
All We Imagine As Light
The Indian film All We Imagine as Light, directed by Payal Kapadia, was not selected as India’s nominee for Best International Film, a major shock for a film that won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Even without the Best International Film nomination, Kapadia was still expected to be nominated for Best Director (having already been nominated as Best Director at the Golden Globes). However, this was not to be and All We Imagine as Light wound up with nothing.
Arte, All We Imagine as Light (2024)
Heretic
Only seven horror films have ever been nominated for Best Picture: The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Sixth Sense (1999), Black Swan (2010), Get Out (2017), and The Substance (2024), with The Silence of the Lambs being the only winner. As such, Heretic’s lack of nominations is hardly surprising but critics felt the screenplay and Hugh Grant’s performance were worthy of nominations (Grant has never been nominated for an Oscar).
Saturday Night
Perhaps there’s a little bit of anti-television bias at work here: Saturday Night is a recreation of the 90 minutes before the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live in 1975. However, a Best Original Screenplay seemed certain, if not a Best Picture nod. With a poor box office performance, in the end, Saturday Night was left out in the cold.
Columbia, Saturday Night (2024)
Kneecap
Ireland chose Kneecap as its entry for Best International Feature, but it failed to make the final shortlist. The story of real-life Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap (playing themselves), the film received 14 nominations at the British Independent Film Awards, winning Best Film. That success did not translate into Academy Award nominations.
Green Border
A contemporary drama about refugees on the Polish-Belarusian border, Green Border is a tense thriller much lauded by critics. Seemingly an obvious choice for Best International Feature, Green Border won several awards at the Venice Film Festival but that didn’t translate into an Oscar nomination.
Metro Films, Green Border (2023)
Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World
A Romanian workplace satire, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World was a critical success. It seemed to be an obvious choice for a screenplay nomination but that wasn’t to be.
4 Proof Film, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023)
The Room Next Door
Acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar made his first English-language film, and it won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. Tilda Swinton was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes as well. Almodóvar was nominated for Best Director and won Best Original Screenplay in 2002 for Talk To Her but this time out, there were no nominations.
Warner Bros., The Room Next Door (2024)
The Piano Lesson
Streaming service Netflix scored big in the 2025 Academy Awards, leading the nominations with 18 (over six movies). The musical Emilia Perez led the way with 13 nominations but despite critical acclaim, Netflix’s The Piano Lesson was left out. Danielle Deadwyler was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the SAG Awards and Samuel L Jackson also seemed like a strong acting contender, but in the end, The Piano Lesson was ignored.
Netflix, The Piano Lesson (2024)
Didi
The film Didi won the Audience Award (Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival, as did the cast for the Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble. Overall, the film was nominated and won numerous awards but this didn’t lead to a single Oscar nomination.
Between The Temples
Comedies are often shut out of contention at the Academy Awards and Between the Temples is no exception. Critical acclaim aside, it was just not the sort of film the Academy usually honors, even with Carol Kane winning Best Supporting Actress from the New York Film Critics Circle. Kane was last nominated for Best Actress in 1976 and since then, has done well with other awards, including two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series.
Sony, Between the Temples (2024)
His Three Daughters
The family drama His Three Daughters was especially praised for the ensemble acting of Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne. Favorably compared to Ingmar Bergman’s Cries and Whispers, His Three Daughters nevertheless failed to nab nominations for its three lead actresses.
Netflix, His Three Daughters (2023)
Hit Man
Director Richard Linklater has long been a critical favorite and has been nominated five times for an Academy Award, twice for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay for 2015’s Boyhood. Glen Powell’s performance in Hit Man was thought to be a lock, especially after a Golden Globe nomination, but Netflix decided to put more publicity weight on the film Emilia Perez.
Civil War
This dystopian action thriller about a civil war between a despotic government and rebel forces was never likely to be nominated for Best Picture. Nevertheless, the technical achievements certainly warranted some other nominations (Best Sound seemed likely to those who know such things) and Kirsten Dunst’s performance as a war photographer was praised as Oscar-worthy. However, no such nominations came through.
The People’s Joker
This independent parody film was never going to be up for any Oscars. Planned screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival were canceled because of copyright issues: The People’s Joker’s use of DC characters is unauthorized. The film did land some awards at the Gotham Awards and the Spirit Awards and critics praised its daring use of DC intellectual properties, but even a nomination for screenplay was probably never in the cards.
Altered Innocence, The People's Joker (2022)
Kinds Of Kindness
Director Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone have worked together three times now, the first two landing Stone a Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2019 and a Best Actress win in 2024. Their third collaboration, Kinds of Kindness, is perhaps a bit too dark for Academy voters as the film received its share of critical accolades but no Oscar nominations.
Searchlight Pictures, Kinds of Kindness (2024)
The Bikeriders
This well-received fictional version of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club drew comparisons to the Godfather saga. The film is multilayered and gives audiences a glimpse into a shadowy world few know about. With some top-notch acting, the film nevertheless failed to get any attention from the Academy.
Regency Enterprises, The Bikeriders (2023)
Fancy Dance
Lily Gladstone was nominated for Best Actress in 2024 for Killers of the Flower Moon and it was expected she would once again be honored. Although independent films usually don’t get the big nominations, Best Picture and Best Director, they are often rewarded with acting nods but this wasn’t the case for Fancy Dance.
Juror #2
Given his age, this is probably Clint Eastwood’s last film but at 94, it’s beyond remarkable that he’s not only still making films but that those films are of this quality. Eastwood has been honored many times by the Academy (11 nominations in three categories and four wins), so it may not be a tragedy that his final work is not nominated. However, on its own merits, one or two nominations wouldn’t have been uncalled for.
Warner Bros., Juror No. 2 (2024)
Janet Planet
The New York Film Critics Circle gave Janet Planet the award for Best First Feature. This independent film by first-time feature filmmaker Annie Baker was well-received and although no Oscar nominations came through, it’s highly probable that those will come in the future.
I Saw The TV Glow
This was a critical darling on the independent film circuit, gaining nominations at the Gotham Awards and the Spirit Awards. I Saw the TV Glow is maybe too strange for Academy voters who tend to prefer independent films echoing the visual sensibilities of the major films.
My Old A--
This film had all the hallmarks of an out-of-left-field screenplay nomination. When a film is too different from mainstream tastes but is still a critical and commercial draw, the two screenplay categories tend to be the consolation prize: despite their success, Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee have only won competitive Oscars for screenplays.
LuckyChap Entertainment, My Old Ass (2024)
Thelma
June Squibb was nominated once for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for her role in Nebraska. Had she been nominated for the critically acclaimed Thelma, at 94, she would have been the oldest Oscar nominee ever. A reliable character actress for decades, Squibb stars in this film about a woman who breaks out of her old-age home to find a scammer and, sentimentality aside, her performance was deserving of the Best Actress nod.
La Chimera
Josh O’Connor was a sure thing for a nomination for his role in this tale of grave robbers in Italy. The film was well-received and O’Connor was singled out for his performance. However, this did not lead to a nomination. Luckily, at 34, there’s still time for him.
Love Lies Bleeding
This film was probably too much for Academy voters. LGBT themes are tolerated by the Academy but the addition of over-the-top violence probably kept the film from any nominations. Kristen Stewart has one previous nomination for Best Actress but this was probably not the film to win over the more staid Academy voters.
A24, Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
The Order
An uncompromising film about white supremacists in the 1980s Pacific Northwest is probably a little too grim for the mainstream tastes of many Academy voters. Jude Law was praised for what many were calling his best performance ever but this did not translate to an acting nomination for Law.
The Outrun
A BAFTA acting nomination is not necessarily a reliable barometer for Oscar success but Saoirse Ronan’s performance as a recovering alcoholic was praised. The film’s structure, weaving three timelines over a decade, gave audiences a feel for the character’s struggles. Nonetheless, no Oscar nominations came through.
Femme
Femme won three British Independent Film Awards and tells the story of a drag artist in London and the closeted gay man who brutally attacks him. The performances were praised and the film was lauded as a thoughtful character study, but Oscar nominations were not forthcoming.
Good One
Can a film about hiking be riveting enough for the Academy? A sudden tone shift in the film with an unexpected reveal adds another dimension to what is essentially a story about parents and their adult children. Well-received and nominated for a Gotham Award, Good One didn’t pick up any Oscar nominations.
Metrograph Pictures, Good One (2024)
Ghostlight
Another independent film with Gotham Award and Spirit Award nominations, Ghostlight tells the story of a construction worker who joins a local theater production of Romeo and Juliet. Unexpectedly, this simple creative outlet has ramifications on his home life.
Unstoppable
Films about people overcoming adversity tend to be fodder for the Academy. A true story about a man born with one leg who becomes a college wrestler—isn’t that the sort of thing the Oscars love? Well-received with lauded performances, this film was probably too under the radar to attract the attention of the Academy.
Artists Equity, Unstoppable (2024)
The Fire Inside
A feature film directorial debut with a script by a previous Oscar winner and nominations from the Gotham Awards and Spirit Awards should have resulted in some notice from the Academy. With a strong performance by Owen Gleiberman, this true story of a boxer competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics did not receive any Oscar nominations.
Blitz
An epic war film by previous Oscar winner Steve McQueen somehow managed to secure no Oscar nominations. Pundits feel the film was released too early in the year and by the time of nomination season, the film, McQueen’s direction, and Saoirse Ronan’s performance were all but forgotten.
Universal Language
A Canadian film about a Winnipeg town where everyone speaks Farsi, this quirky film did well at Cannes and was on the shortlist as Canada’s foreign language submission. Maybe the oddity of a country’s entry not being the national language was enough to keep Universal Language from the final five nominees.
Metafilms, Universal Language (2024)
Babygirl
Nicole Kidman has been nominated for Best Actress four times and once for Best Supporting Actress, winning Best Actress in 2003. Her work in the erotic Babygirl was met with acclaim, winning her Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival and the National Board of Review and a Best Actress nomination at the Golden Globes. Considered a bit of a snub, possibly because of the film’s controversial content, Kidman was left without a Best Actress nomination.
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