At the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday night, Anora emerged as the big winner, claiming five Oscars, including the coveted Best Picture and Best Director awards. Director Sean Baker, who also edited, wrote, and co-produced the film, made history by tying Walt Disney’s record for the most Oscars won by an individual in a single year, with four awards. Unlike Disney, who won for four different projects in 1954, Baker achieved this feat with a single film.
The ceremony also spotlighted Emilia Pérez, which led the nominations with 13 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director, and multiple acting categories. Karla Sofía Gascón became the first transgender woman to be nominated for an acting Oscar, earning a Best Actress nomination for her lead role in the film. However, her campaign faced challenges after controversial social media posts surfaced. Ultimately, the Best Actress Oscar went to Mikey Madison for her performance in Anora.
Zoe Saldaña made history as the first American of Dominican descent to win an Oscar, taking home the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Emilia Pérez, which was one of only two wins for the film that night.
Other major contenders included Wicked and The Brutalist, each with 10 nominations. Adrian Brody won his second Best Actor Oscar for playing architect László Tóth in The Brutalist. Brody, who won his first Oscar for The Pianist in 2002, maintained his record as the youngest Best Actor winner, despite Timothée Chalamet’s hopes to break it for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
Conan O’Brien hosted the ceremony for the first time, bringing his comedic flair to the prestigious event.
Full List of Winners and Nominees
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 Actress
• Mikey Madison, Anora — Winner
• Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
• Karla Sofia Gascón, Emilia Pérez
• Demi Moore, The Substance
• Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Best Actor
• Adrian Brody, The Brutalist — Winner
• Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
• Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
• Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
• Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Best Supporting Actor
• Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain — Winner
• Yura Borisov, Anora
• Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
• Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
• Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Best Supporting Actress
• Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez — Winner
• 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 Cinematography
• The Brutalist, Lol Crawley — Winner
• Dune: Part Two, Greig Fraser
• Emilia Pérez, Paul Guillaume
• Maria, Edward Lachman
• Nosferatu, Jarin Blaschke
Best Animated Feature
• Flow — Winner
• Inside Out 2
• Memoir of a Snail
• Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
• The Wild Robot
Best Animated Short
• In the Shadow of the Cypress — Winner
• Beautiful Men
• Magic Candies
• Wander to Wonder
• Yuck!
Best Costume Design
• Wicked, Paul Tazewell — Winner
• A Complete Unknown, Arianne Phillips
• Conclave, Lisy Christl
• Gladiator II, Janty Yates
• Nosferatu, Linda Muir
Best Original Screenplay
• Anora, Sean Baker — Winner
• The Brutalist, Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
• A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg
• September 5, Tim Fehlbaum & Moritz Binder
• The Substance, Coralie Fargeat
Best Adapted Screenplay
• Conclave, Peter Straughan — Winner
• A Complete Unknown, Jay Cocks & James Mangold
• Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain & Nicolas Livecchi
• Nickel Boys, RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
• Sing Sing, Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin & John “Divine G” Whitfield
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
• The Substance — Winner
Best Film Editing
• Anora, Sean Baker — Winner
Best Production Design
• Wicked, Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales — Winner
Best Original Song
• “El Mal,” Emilia Pérez (Clement Ducol, Camille & Jacques Audiard) — Winner
Best Documentary Short
• The Only Girl in the Orchestra — Winner
Best Documentary Feature
• No Other Land, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor — Winner
Best Sound
• Dune: Part Two — Winner
Best Visual Effects
• Dune: Part Two — Winner
Best Live-Action Short
• I’m Not a Robot — Winner
Best International Feature
• I’m Still Here, Walter Salles (Brazil) — Winner
Best Original Score
• The Brutalist, Daniel Blumberg — Winner
The 2025 Oscars delivered memorable moments and groundbreaking wins, cementing Anora’s status as a cinematic powerhouse and celebrating a diverse array of talent and storytelling.
