France announced today that the Spanish-language Mexican co-production Emilia Pérez, a queer musical narco drama, will represent the country in the international race at the 97th Academy Awards. Starring Zoe Saldaña, Adriana Paz, Selena Gómez, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Edgar Ramírez, the film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last May, where it won the Jury Prize and a shared Best Actress Award for its female cast.
Written and directed by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez tells the story of high-powered lawyer Rita, who takes on an unexpected assignment: helping a Mexican drug lord fake their death and undergo sex-reassignment surgery.
Acquired by Netflix, the film recently played at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals, where it has started to generate Oscar buzz and is becoming a top contender in the current awards season. The next stops for Emilia Pérez are the San Sebastián and New York Film Festivals.
Nicolás Celis, producer of Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, and his production company Pimienta Films, is the Mexican producer of the film, which was shot entirely in a sound studio in France. Despite France having the most nominations for Best International Film at the Oscars, the country has not secured a nomination since 2019, amid recent changes to the selection committee.
