A film lover’s superbowl, the 97th Academy Awards happened on Mar 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, CA.
Best picture nominee Anora walked away from the event with five Oscars out of its nominations, including best picture, best actress in a leading role for star Mikey Madison, and best director for Sean Baker. Emilia Perez stars Karla Sofia Gascón and Zoe Saldaña both made Academy Awards history this award season, with Gascón becoming the first transgender woman to be nominated for best actress and Saldaña becoming the first American of Dominican descent to score an Oscar with her win for supporting actress.
Kieran Culkin, known for his roles in Succession and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, won best supporting actor playing opposite Jesse Eisenberg in the film A Real Pain. The Oscar for best actor went to Adrien Brody for his role in The Brutalist. During his speech, Brody broke a record during the night for giving the longest speech in Academy Awards history.
A win for indie animation studios, Flow won best animated film over films by Disney and Universal.
“El Mal” from Emilia Perez won best song and its acceptance was followed by a cringeworthy song from the writers.
Wicked, considered one of the best films of last year, won its nominations for best costume and production design. Other winners in different categories include Dune: Part Two, Conclave, and The Substance.
The event was opened with a Wicked melody sung by stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien.
