Anora takes center stage at the 97th Academy Awards
The 97th Academy Awards unfolded at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 2, with all eyes on Jacques Audiard’s musical Emilia Perez, which led the nominations with 13.
However, the night belonged to Sean Baker’s Anora, which swept five Oscars, including Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
Emilia Perez secured two awards, with Zoe Saldana winning Best Supporting Actress and the film earning an Oscar for Best Original Song.
Major winners of the night
Conclave won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, while The Brutalist saw Adrien Brody take home the Best Actor award.
India’s only shortlisted entry, Anuja, was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film but lost to I’m Not a Robot, dashing the country’s Oscar hopes this year. The film was backed by industry stalwarts Priyanka Chopra and two-time Oscar winner Guneet Monga.
Kieran Culkin claimed the Best Supporting Actor award for A Real Pain, while Zoe Saldana’s win for Emilia Perez marked a milestone moment.
A night of tributes and performances
Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the ceremony paid tribute to the victims and heroes of the recent Los Angeles wildfires. The event opened with a musical performance by Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, both nominated for their roles.
A special segment celebrated the music of James Bond films, featuring performances by Doja Cat, Lisa of BLACKPINK, and Raye. The evening also saw a moving appearance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
More notable wins from Oscars 2025
- Dune: Part Two claimed two Oscars, winning for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.
- The Brutalist secured Best Cinematography, with Daniel Blumberg winning Best Original Score.
- Brazil’s I’m Still Here won Best International Feature Film.
- No Other Land was named Best Documentary Feature, while The Only Girl in the Orchestra won Best Documentary Short Film.
- Wicked earned Oscars for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.
- The Substance, starring Demi Moore, won Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
- In the Shadow of the Cypress took home Best Animated Short Film.
With Anora emerging as the biggest winner of the night, the 97th Academy Awards showcased a blend of expected victories and surprise upsets, setting the stage for another exciting year in cinema.
Oscars 2025: Complete list of winners
Best Picture
- Anora, Winner
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
- Wicked
Best Actor
- Adrien Brody – The Brutalist- Winner
- Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
- Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
- Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
- Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
Best Actress
- Mikey Madison, “” Anora”—Winner
- Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
- Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
- Demi Moore, “The Substance”
- Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Winner: Kerryan Culkin
- A Real Pain-Nominees
- Yura Borisov- Anora
- Edward Norton-A Complete Unknown
- Guy Pearce-The Brutalist
- Jeremy Strong- The Apprentice
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Winner- Zoe Saldaña- Emilia Pérez
- Monica Barbaro- A Complete Unknown
- Ariana Grande-Wicked
- Felicity Jones-The Brutalist
- Isabella Rossellini-Conclave
Best Director
- Sean Baker, “Anora” – Winner
- Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
- James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
- Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
- Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”
Best Animated Short Film
- Winner- In the Shadow of the Cypress- Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
- Beautiful Men- Nicolas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande
- Magic Candies-Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio
- Wander to Wonder- Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper
- Yuck!- Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet
Best Cinematography
- Winner- The Brutalist- Lol Crawley
- Dune: Part Two-Greig Fraser
- Emilia Pérez- Paul Guilhaume
- Maria- Ed Lachman
- Nosferatu- Jarin Blaschke
Best Costume Design
- Winner- Wicked- Paul Tazewell
- A Complete Unknown- Arianne Phillip
- Conclave- Lisy Christl
- Gladiator II- Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
- Nosferatu-Linda Muir
Best Documentary Feature Film
- Winner: No Other Land- Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
- Black Box Diaries- Shiori Ito, Eric Nyari and Hanna Aqvilin
- Porcelain War- Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska and Paula DuPre’ Pesmen
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat- Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius and Rémi Grellety
- Sugarcane- Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie and Kellen Quinn
Best International Feature
- Winner: I’m Still Here – Brazil
- The Girl with the Needle – Denmark
- Emilia Pérez – France
- The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Germany
- Flow – Latvia
Best Animated Feature
- Winner: Flow
- Inside Out 2
- Memoir of a Snail
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- The Wild Robot
Best Documentary Short Film
- Winner- The Only Girl in the Orchestra- Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remingto
- Death by Numbers- Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard
- I Am Ready, Warden- Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp
- Incident- Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven
- Instruments of a Beating Heart- Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari
Best Original Screenplay
- Winner: Anora – Sean Baker
- The Brutalist – Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
- A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
- September 5 – Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David
- The Substance – Coralie Fargeat
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Winner: Conclave – Peter Straughan
- A Complete Unknown – Jay Cocks and James Mangold
- Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard
- Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
- Sing Sing – Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Best Original Song
- Winner : El Mal – Emilia Pérez
- Never Too Late – Elton John: Never Too Late
- Mi Camino – Emilia Pérez
- Like A Bird – Sing Sing
- The Journey – The Six Triple Eight
Best Original Score
- Winner: The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Winner: The Substance- Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
- A Different Man- Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado- Emilia Pérez
- Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
- Nosferatu- David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
- Wicked- Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth
Best production design
- Winner: Wicked
- The Brutalist
- Dune: Part Two
- Nosferatu
- Conclave
Best Sound
- Winner: Dune: Part Two
- A Complete Unknown
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
Best Film Editing
- Winner: Anora
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
Best Visual Effect
- Winner: Dune: Part Two
- Alien: Romulus
- Better Man
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Wicked
Best Live Action Short
- Winner: I’m Not a Robot
- Anuja
- The Last Ranger
- A Lien
- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
FAQs
What film won Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars?
Anora won Best Picture, extending its award-season success. The film also won awards for Best Actress (Mikey Madison) and Best Director (Sean Baker).
Who won Best Actor and Best Actress?
Adrien Brody won Best Actor for The Brutalist, and Mikey Madison won Best Actress for Anora, cementing their performances as among the year’s best.