Netflix’s much-hyped “Emilia Perez” musical led the way with 13 nominations when the much-delayed contenders for the 97th Academy Awards were announced this morning.

“The Brutalist” and “Wicked” scored ten nominations each. A total of 10 films are up for Best Picture this past year, with Demi Moore’s daring turn in sci-fi’s satire of Hollywood’s treatment of older actresses “The Substance” earning recognition, the impressive Dylan bio pic “A Complete Uknown,” the dark and even comical Papal thriller “Conclave,” “Dune: Part 2,” “I’m Still Here,” “Anora” and “Nickel Boys” rounding out the field.

Karla Sofía Gascón made history as the first openly transgender performer to receive a nomination, with her turn in “Emilia Perez” recognized. She is competing for Best Actress against Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”), Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here”) and Mikey Madison of “Anora.”

If one takes this Oscars as sending a political message to the new/old administration in Washington, Gascón‘s nomination is one slap at the virulently anti-trans Trump crowd. Honoring Sebastian Stan with a Best Actor nom for portraying Trump’s training in crime, fraud and avoiding accountability in “The Apprentice” is another sign of that. Stan is up against Oscar winner Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”) and Oscar winner Ralph Fiennes for his Papal operator/archbishop in “Conclave.”

Best Supporting actor is an embarassment of riches with Jeremy Strong (a deadeyed dead ringer for Roy Cohn in “The Apprentice”), Guy Pearce (“The Brutalist”), Edward Norton’s uncanny Pete Seeger impersonation in “A Complete Unknown”), Kieran Culkin’s life-of-the-trip cousin in “A Real Pain” and Yura Borasov’s lovesick heavy in “Anora.”

Monica Barbaro (Joan Baez in “A Complete Uknown”), Ariana Grande (the best reason to see “Wicked”), Felicity Jones (“The Brutalist”), Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”) and longtime fan favorite Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez) fill out a frankly dazzling field for best supporting actress.

“Nosferatu” the Robert Eggers remake of a silent film classic, earned expected nominations for cinematography (Jarin Blashke), costumes (Linda Muir), makeup (David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton) and production design (Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová.

The best news about those nominations is that it could push “Nosferatu” over $100 million at the box office by the end of next weekend.

The Munich Olympics incident as seen from the broadcast booth of ABC Sports “September 5” earned a lone Best Original Screenplay nomination for Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum and co-writer Alex David. Jesse Eisenberg was nominated in that category for “A Real Pain,” along with Sean Baker (“Anora”), Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”), and Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote “The Brutalist.”

The adapted screenplay nominations went to “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Nickel Boys,” “Sing Sing” and “Emilia Pérez.” “Wicked” was left out of that category for good reason.

Best Animated feature nominees include a new “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” from Netflix, “Inside Out 2” and “The Wild Robot” from the biggest animation houses, Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks, “Memoir of a Snail” and Latvian director
Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow.”

“Best directors direct best pictures,” the old adage goes. So “Anora” (Sean Baker), “A Complete Unknown” (James Mangold), “The Brutalist” (Brady Corbet ), and “The Substance” (Coralie Fargeat) might be the Best Picture favorites.

The complete Best Picture field is “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,”“Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “I’m Still Here,” ““Emilia Pérez,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Substance” and “Wicked.”

Some figure Denzel Washington (“Gladiator II”), Daniel Craig (“Queer”), Kate Winslet (“Lee”), Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”), Pamela Anderson (“The Last Showgirl”) and director Jon M. Chu (“Wicked”) were “snubbed. I’d add “Queer” as Best Picture, maybe Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part 2”) as Best Director, definitely Willem Dafoe (“Nosferatu,” Best Supporting actor) and Anjelina Jolie’s Best Actress nomination-worthy turn as “Maria” Callas as a geniune ommissions.

“Moana 2” and “Mufasa” didn’t make the Best Animated Feature field for obvious reasons. Last summer’s lavishly over-praised “Kinds of Kindness” crapped out with cause.

I think I’ll pull for “Nosferatu” in every category it’s up in, “The Wild Robot,” Demi Moore, Colman Domingo, Zoe Saldaña and Guy Pearce, Brady Corbet for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and “Brutalist” for Best Picture. What we’re looking for this year is memorable, from the heart and of-the-moment acceptance speeches of the sort that Adrien Brody delivered when he won for “The Pianist.”

Will we get them?

The 97th Academy Awards will be handed out on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and telecast on ABC.