Netflix has found its Oscar contender. On Monday, the streamer released the official trailer for Emilia Pérez, a French crime musical that Netflix is positioning as a major awards player.
In Jacques Audiard’s audacious film, Karla Sofía Gascón stars as Emilia, a Mexican cartel leader who seeks the help of Rita (Zoe Saldaña), a lawyer, to fake her own death and undergo gender reassignment surgery. By executing this plan, Emilia hopes to “finally live authentically as her true self,” per Netflix.
Besides Gascón and Saldaña, Emilia Pérez also stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Édgar Ramírez as Gustavo Brun.
Emilia Pérez is written and directed by Audiard, the visionary auteur best known for films such as A Prophet, Rust and Bone, Dheepan, and The Sisters Brothers. Emilia Pérez is based on a chapter in the 2018 novel Écoute by Boris Razon. Audiard originally developed the screenplay as an opera libretto before it became a feature film.
Emilia Pérez premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or. The Spanish-language musical took home three prizes at Cannes: Jury Prize, Soundtrack Award, and Best Actress. Gascón, Saldaña, Gomez, and Paz split the Best Actress award. After its Cannes debut, Netflix acquired the film for its North American and U.K. rights.
Netflix believes Emilia Pérez will be a serious contender this awards season, especially at the 2025 Oscars. France has submitted the film for Best International Feature Film. However, Netflix will campaign for the film in several key categories, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Gascón), and Best Supporting Actress (Saldaña, Gomez, and Paz). Gascón is attempting to become the first openly trans actress to land an Oscar nomination.
Emilia Pérez opens in select theaters in the U.S. and Canada on November 1. The musical will then stream on Netflix on November 13.
