The 97th Academy Awards ceremony turned the Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre into a star-studded galaxy of celebrities on Sunday evening, giving us moments of victory, surprise, and heartfelt emotion that recalled why we enjoy movies. With the golden statues going to their new owners, the night honored not only the technical excellence of cinema but also the profoundly human narratives that move people across the globe.
Oscars 2025 Winners list
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Picture | Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker | “Anora” |
| Best Director | Sean Baker | “Anora” |
| Best Actor | Adrien Brody | “The Brutalist” |
| Best Actress | Mikey Madison | “Anora” |
| Best Supporting Actor | Kieran Culkin | “A Real Pain |
| Best Supporting Actress | Zoe Saldaña | “Emilia Pérez” |
| Best Original Screenplay | Sean Baker | “Anora” |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Peter Straughan | “Conclave” |
| Best Cinematography | Lol Crawley | “The Brutalist” |
| Best Film Editing | Sean Baker | “Anora” |
| Best Production Design | Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales | “Wicked” |
| Best Costume Design | Paul Tazewell | “Wicked” |
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli | “The Substance” |
| Best Original Score | Daniel Blumberg | “The Brutalist” |
| Best Original Song | “El Mal” – Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard | “Emilia Pérez” |
| Best Sound | Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill | “Dune: Part Two |
| Best Visual Effects | Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer | “Dune: Part Two” |
| Best Animated Feature | Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman | “Flow” |
| Best International Feature | Maria Augusta Ramos | “I’m Still Here” (Brazil) |
| Best Documentary Feature | Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham | “No Other Land” |
| Best Documentary Short | Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington | “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” |
| Best Animated Short | Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi | “In the Shadow of the Cypress” |
| Best Live Action Short | Victoria Warmerdam and Trent | “I’m Not a Robot” |
“Anora”: The Independent Darling that Won Hollywood
In what many are hailing as a watershed moment for independent filmmaking, Sean Baker’s low-budget drama Anora won the night in a sweep. The movie, which chronicles the complicated affair between a Brooklyn sex worker and the rich Russian client she elopes with, resonated with voters in numerous categories.
Made on a low $6 million budget yet still able to rake in around $40 million in worldwide box office revenues, “Anora” is a strong testament that genuine storytelling can overcome huge production budgets and marketing efforts.
The movie’s impressive take included:
- Best Picture (Producers: Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker)
- Best Director (Sean Baker)
- Best Actress (Mikey Madison)
- Best Original Screenplay (Sean Baker)
- Best Film Editing (Sean Baker)
Madison’s speech after being accepted was one of the evening’s most emotional moments, as the first-time nominee expressed gratitude to Baker “for seeing something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself.” The actress, who started in television before making the move to film, gave a masterclass in vulnerability as the title character, a performance that industry veterans are already hailing as career-defining.
Acting Categories: Transformative Performances
Best Actor
In a category packed with heavyweight talent, Adrien Brody claimed his second Academy Award for his haunting portrayal of an émigré architect in “The Brutalist.” Brody’s win comes more than two decades after his first Oscar for “The Pianist,” making him one of the most selective actors to achieve multiple wins with relatively few nominations.
“This actor’s journey from trauma to resilience to redemption resonated with me in ways that I’m still grappling with,” Brody said in his acceptance speech. “Art enables us to bear witness to the entirety of human experience, even when that experience is deeply painful.”
Best Supporting Actor
In a competitive category, Kieran Culkin won his first Oscar for “A Real Pain,” portraying a neurotic, aimless man on a Holocaust memorial tour with his more accomplished cousin. The comedic/pathetic role revealed Culkin’s amazing range after his television triumph in “Succession.”
“I spent so many years wondering if I’d ever get to do the right roles,” Culkin said, visibly emotional about the nod. “To the filmmakers who take risks on messy characters that don’t fit into neat boxes—thank you for creating room for performances like this.”
Best Supporting Actress
Zoe Saldaña won over fans with her life-changing turn in the genre-bending musical crime drama Emilia Pérez.” As a transgender attorney caught up in a knotty mix of cartel violence and identity politics, Saldaña showed incredible emotional range and flexibility.
“This movie pushed me to grow my perception of humanity, identity, and the strength of transformation,” Saldaña said in her emotional acceptance speech. “I accept this award on behalf of every individual who has struggled to be seen for who they are, not for who the world says they should be.”
Technical Categories: The Wizards Behind the Curtain
Cinematography
Lol Crawley won the Academy Award for his breathtaking labor on The Brutalist, using stark settings and natural lighting to establish a visual vocabulary that unfolded in tandem with the journey of the protagonist through post-war America. The victory marks Crawley’s first Oscar following past nominations for his efforts in independent films.
Costume Design
The magical realm of “Wicked” brought Paul Tazewell his first Oscar for Costume Design. Tazewell’s colorful creations brought the iconic characters of Oz to life, balancing respect for the source material with new interpretations that amazed audiences and critics alike.
Makeup and Hairstyling
The groundbreaking body horror of “The Substance” won the Makeup and Hairstyling Academy Award for the trio of Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli. Their craft, which entailed developing a variety of looks for the same character at disparate stages of being, stretched what could be accomplished through practical effects for the aid of the disturbingly themed story of beauty, culture, and identity.
Production Design
The immersive world-building of “Wicked” won Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales the Oscar for Production Design. Their take on Oz struck a balance between whimsy and darkness, developing unique environments that matched the story’s themes of perspective and moral gray areas.
Original Score
Composer Daniel Blumberg won his first Oscar for the haunting, discordant music of “The Brutalist.” Combining orchestral scoring with experimental methods, Blumberg’s score was a key narrative component that intensified the emotional effect of the film.
Original Song
The stunning ballad “El Mal” by Emilia Pérez won the Original Song Oscar for songwriters Clément Ducol and Camille and lyricists Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard. The song, used as an emotional anchor in the film, marries traditional Latin beats with modern production to form a haunting reflection on identity and change.
Visual Effects
The Dune: Part Two team (Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer) won the Visual Effects Oscar for their breathtaking achievement in bringing Frank Herbert’s science fiction world to life. From gigantic sandworms to vast desert expanses, their smooth blending of practical and digital effects provided a convincing otherworldly setting.
Sound
The sound environment of Dune: Part Two won Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill the Sound Oscar. They successfully merged the intimate (the faint whisper of sand) with the epic (the crashing advance of a sandworm), providing a sound that was as expansive and rich as the film’s color palette.
Global Cinema Excellence
International Feature Film
Brazil’s “I’m Still Here” won the International Feature Film Oscar, furthering the nation’s recent film resurgence. Director Maria Augusta Ramos’s unflinching look at political corruption and individual strength spoke to voters and further cemented Latin American cinema’s increasing global presence.
Animated Feature Film
The beautifully haunting “Flow” won the Animated Feature Film Oscar for directors Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman. The dialogue-free movie, about a youth’s odyssey through a dreamlike world of memory and loss, breaks the boundaries of animation as a means of telling a story.
Documentary Achievements
Documentary Feature Film
The collaborative documentary “No Other Land” won the Documentary Feature Film Oscar for directors Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham. Their unflinching analysis of displacement and resilience in the West Bank presents a humanizing look at one of the world’s most intricate geopolitical conflicts.
Documentary Short Film
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra” won the Documentary Short Film Oscar for directors Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington. Their close-up profile of a young woman musician struggling to make her way in the male world of classical orchestras touches on issues of determination, sexism, and creative passion.
Short Film Categories
Animated Short Film
The visually captivating “In the Shadow of the Cypress” took the Oscar for Animated Short Film by directors Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi. Their stop-motion hand-drawn film, based on the concept of memory and cultural identity presented by the medium as magic realism, exhibits the capacity of the art form for poetic images.
Live Action Short Film
“I’m Not a Robot” won the Live Action Short Film Oscar for directors Victoria Warmerdam and Trent. Their dark comedy investigation of human connection in an increasingly mechanized world is evenly balanced between humor and deep questions regarding technology and intimacy.
Writing Excellence
Adapted Screenplay
“Conclave” won the Adapted Screenplay Oscar for scribe Peter Straughan, who turned Robert Harris’s bestseller on papal politics into a tense theological thriller that probes faith, power, and corruption of institutions.
The Ceremony’s Memorable Moments
Aside from the honors themselves, the 97th Academy Awards brought many memorable moments that will be remembered for years to come:
- The premiere musical number with host John Mulaney’s surprisingly impressive vocals and dance moves
- The heartwarming standing ovation for 97-year-old movie legend Sophia Loren’s first public outing in years
- The fireworks Bond tribute for the franchise’s 60+ years on screens
- The powerful “In Memoriam” section’s poignant celebration of talent lost, as witnessed with Billie Eilish’s live performance
What These Winners Say About Cinema Today
The 97th Oscars unveiled several telling industry trends:
- The Rise of Independent Cinema: “Anora’s win indicates that honest, character-based storytelling is still able to penetrate a landscape of franchise overreach.
- Global Filmmaking: The big success of foreign-language films in multiple categories demonstrates the Academy’s global outlook.
- Genre Blending: Films such as Emilia Pérez” and The Substance” cannot be easily labeled, which means that rule-breaking storytelling works with audiences as well as with voters.”.
- Practical Craftsmanship: Even with incredible digital technologies, movies such as The Brutalist and The Substance prove the ongoing value of practical effects and in-camera work.
As the curtain comes down on yet another Oscar season, these winners together remind us why film continues to be our favorite storytelling form—its special power to take us away, change us, and enlighten us about human experience continues to grow with each new year. Whether in the cozy confines of an art-house theater or on the giant screen of a multiplex, the magic of the movies is as potent as ever.
Also Read: How ” Anora” Dominated at Film Independent Spirit Awards 2025