The 2025 movie awards season is in full swing but figuring out where to watch everything can be overwhelming. Are they streaming? For free? In theaters? Only in Los Angeles and New York?

Take one of the big winners of the Golden Globes, “The Brutalist,” a film that has been dominating conversations since it premiered at the Venice film festival in September. You might be eager to see what all the fuss is about with Brady Corbet’s 215-minute postwar saga, which was nominated for 10 Oscars, including best picture. In late January, it finally went into wide release in North America. Leading nominee “Emilia Pérez” requires less of a trip. It’s streaming on Netflix.

Here’s a guide for what you need to know about the season’s big contenders, and where to watch them.

‘Emilia Pérez’ (13 Oscar nominations): Jacques Audiard’s musical crime thriller about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender-affirming surgery is steamrolling awards season, with a leading 13 Oscar nominations, including best picture, SAG nods for Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldaña, who also won at the Globes, and a DGA nom. It also won the best musical/comedy Golden Globe, best original song (“El Mal”) and best picture not in English. (Netflix)

‘The Brutalist’ (10 Oscar nominations): A major player, despite the lack of a SAG ensemble nomination, this film stars Adrien Brody as a noted architect and Holocaust survivor who attempts to start life anew in America and gets a life-changing commission from Guy Pearce’s wealthy industrialist. It won the Golden Globe for best director, best drama and best actor. Felicity Jones was also among its Oscar nominations. (In theaters)

‘Wicked’ (10 Oscar nominations): Jon M. Chu’s vibrant adaptation of the popular movie musical was widely recognized by the academy, with nods for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and best picture. It also snagged a coveted best ensemble nomination from SAG, as well as individual nods for Erivo, Grande and Jonathan Bailey. (Rent or buy via video on demand)

‘A Complete Unknown’ (8 Oscar nominations): James Mangold’s acclaimed Bob Dylan biopic did well Oscar morning with best picture, best director, best actor for Timothée Chalamet, supporting actress for Monica Barbaro, who plays Joan Baez, and supporting actor for Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. (In theaters)

‘Conclave’ (8 Oscar nominations): This pulpy, smart thriller about the selection of a new pope got a DGA nod for director Edward Berger and a SAG nod for Ralph Fiennes’ lead performance. It also won the best screenplay Golden Globe. Berger was not nominated for a best director Oscar, but Isabella Rossellini got in for supporting actress. (Peacock)

‘Anora’ (6 Oscar nominations): Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner about a New York stripper’s rollercoaster romance with a Russian oligarch’s son may not have won at the Golden Globes, but the shine is still there — especially after DGA and SAG nominations for Mikey Madison and Yura Borisov, and their respective Oscar nominations. (Rent or buy via video on demand)

‘Dune: Part Two’ (5 Oscar nominations): The first “Dune” got a best picture nomination but Denis Villeneuve was snubbed for a directing nod — and the same thing happened with “Part Two.” He was also left off the DGA list. (Max)

‘The Substance’ (5 Oscar nominations): Demi Moore’s turn as an aging actor who goes to extremes to preserve her looks in Coralie Fargeat’s body horror won her a Golden Globe, got her a SAG nomination and an Oscar nod. It was also nominated for best picture and best director. (In limited theaters, Mubi)

‘Nosferatu’ (4 Oscar nominations): Robert Eggers’ remake of the 1922 silent vampire classic starring Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård was recognized for crafts and cinematography. (In theaters)

‘I’m Still Here’ (3 Oscar nominations): This Brazilian film from Walter Salles stars Fernanda Torres (who won the Golden Globe) as Eunice Paiva, the wife of Rubens Paiva, a former leftist Brazilian congressman who was taken and not returned during the country’s military dictatorship. It made best picture, best actress and best international feature. (In limited theaters)

‘Sing Sing’ (3 Oscar nominations): Colman Domingo has received a lot of recognition for his performance as an incarcerated man who helps lead a theater program at Sing Sing, including from SAG. Domingo, the screenplay and the music were recognized by the academy. (In theaters)

‘The Wild Robot’ (3 Oscar nominations): Chris Sanders’ charming adaptation of Peter Brown’s book about a smart robot who gets stranded in the wilderness and becomes caretaker to a young gosling is in the animated feature discussion. (Peacock)

‘The Apprentice’ (2 Oscar nominations): Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong got Oscar nominations for portraying Donald Trump and his lawyer Roy Cohn in this film about the future U.S. president. (Rent or buy via video on demand)

‘Flow’ (2 Oscar nominations): This wordless Latvian film about a cat escaping a great flood has become a favorite in the animation category. It won the animation Golden Globe and was nominated for an animation and international feature Oscar. (In limited theaters, rent or buy via video on demand)

‘Nickel Boys’ (2 Oscar nominations): RaMell Ross used first-person point of view to adapt Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about an abusive reform school in the Jim Crow South and it got a best first feature nomination from the DGA. (In limited theaters)

‘A Real Pain’ (2 Oscar nominations): After a Globes win, an Oscar and SAG nod, Kieran Culkin is quickly becoming the supporting actor favorite in the awards race for playing the chaotic, charismatic Benji in Jesse Eisenberg’s tragicomic film about cousins on a Holocaust tour in Poland. Eisenberg was nominated for original screenplay. (Hulu)

‘A Different Man’ (1 Oscar nomination): Sebastian Stan won a Golden Globe for his performance as an aspiring actor who drastically changes his face in this psychological thriller. It was only recognized by the Oscars for makeup and hairstyling. (Max)

‘Gladiator II’ (1 Oscar nomination): Denzel Washington did not get the one nomination. That went to the costume design team. (Paramount)

‘Inside Out 2’ (1 Oscar nomination): This Disney sequel about the emotions of a young girl is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, not accounting for inflation. (Disney+)

‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ (1 Oscar nomination): Widely considered one of the best films of the year, this Cannes gem (and Germany’s Oscar submission) is a political thriller and domestic drama about Iran’s authoritarian regime. (In limited theaters)

‘September 5’ (1 Oscar nomination): This film is a tick-tock account of how the sports reporters at ABC covered the Munich Olympics hostage crisis live in 1972. It got an original screenplay nod. (In theaters)

‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’ (1 Oscar nomination): An animated contender, this is only the second feature-length Wallace & Gromit film and brings back favorite Feathers McGraw. (Netflix)