What a night. Honestly, if you had told me a year ago that a chaotic, neon-drenched indie dramedy about a Brooklyn sex worker and a Russian oligarch’s son would sweep the 97th Academy Awards, I might’ve laughed. But here we are. Sean Baker’s Anora didn't just win; it practically rearranged the furniture at the Dolby Theatre.
It was March 2, 2025, and while Conan O’Brien was busy cracking jokes about the wildfires and Hollywood’s eccentricities, the vibe in the room was electric. People were wondering who were the oscar winners that would actually define this era of film. We got our answer. It wasn’t the massive blockbusters—though Dune: Part Two held its own in the technical categories—but rather the deeply personal, often gritty stories that took home the gold.
The Anora Sweep: Sean Baker’s Historic Night
Let’s talk about Sean Baker. The man literally made history. He walked into the night as a respected indie auteur and walked out as a legend, tying a record held only by Walt Disney. Baker took home four personal Oscars in a single night: Best Picture (as a producer), Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
Five Oscars for Anora total. That’s a massive statement from the Academy.
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Mikey Madison’s Ascent
The Best Actress race was a total nail-biter. For months, it felt like a toss-up between Mikey Madison and the legendary Demi Moore for The Substance. But when Madison’s name was called, the room erupted. Her performance as Ani was raw, funny, and heartbreaking. It’s rare to see someone so young carry a Best Picture winner with that kind of intensity. Honestly, she deserved it.
The Acting Categories: Veterans and New Milestones
While Anora was the headline, the other acting categories brought some serious emotional weight. We saw the return of a former champion and the crowning of a long-overdue character actor.
- Adrien Brody (Best Actor, The Brutalist): This was a big one. It’s been over 20 years since Brody won for The Pianist. His role as László Tóth, a Hungarian architect surviving post-war America, was monumental. His speech? It was a marathon. Clocking in at five minutes and 40 seconds, it became the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history. He talked about inclusion, checking hate, and the power of art. It was earnest—maybe a bit long—but you could tell he felt every second of it.
- Zoe Saldaña (Best Supporting Actress, Emilia Pérez): History was made here too. Saldaña became the first American of Dominican descent to win an Oscar. She was visibly moved, paying tribute to her immigrant parents. Her role as a lawyer-turned-fixer in a musical crime drama was a total pivot from her big-budget franchise work, and it paid off.
- Kieran Culkin (Best Supporting Actor, A Real Pain): Everyone loves a Culkin comeback, right? Kieran has been acting for 35 years, but his role as Benji Kaplan felt like the culmination of all that work. In his typical self-deprecating style, he admitted he had no idea how his trajectory led him to an Oscar stage.
Technical Feats and Foreign Language Gems
You can’t talk about who were the oscar winners without looking at the craft that happens behind the camera. Dune: Part Two was the technical powerhouse of the night, securing wins for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. It’s basically the gold standard for sci-fi at this point.
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Meanwhile, The Brutalist wasn't just about Brody's acting. It also grabbed Best Cinematography for Lol Crawley’s stunning work and Best Original Score for Daniel Blumberg. It looked and sounded like a classic epic from a bygone era.
A World of Cinema
The International and Animated categories brought some firsts:
- Brazil's I'm Still Here: Walter Salles took home Best International Feature. It’s a gut-wrenching story that resonated globally.
- Latvia's Flow: This was huge. Flow became the first Latvian film to win Best Animated Feature, beating out heavy hitters like Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot.
- Wicked's Paul Tazewell: He became the first Black man to win Best Costume Design. The "pink and green" aesthetic of Oz was apparently impossible for the Academy to ignore.
What This Means for the Future of Film
If there’s one takeaway from the 97th Academy Awards, it’s that the "theatrical experience" is fighting back. During his Best Director speech, Sean Baker made a "battle cry" for the big screen. He literally begged filmmakers to keep making movies for theaters, not just for the "content" void.
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The snub of the night? Many felt The Substance or Emilia Pérez (which had 13 nominations but only won two) were underserved. But that's the Oscars. It’s never without a little controversy. Whether it’s the debate over No Other Land winning Best Documentary or the shocking red-carpet kiss between Halle Berry and Adrien Brody (a throwback to 2003!), the night reminded us why we still care about these statues.
How to Catch Up on the Winners
If you missed the ceremony or haven't seen the films yet, here’s your plan:
- Stream Anora: It's the definitive "must-watch" of the year.
- Watch the technical winners: See Dune: Part Two on the biggest screen possible if you can still find it.
- Explore the indies: Seek out A Real Pain and Flow. These aren't just "Oscar bait"—they are genuinely great stories that would’ve been overlooked ten years ago.
The landscape is shifting. Mid-budget movies and indie darlings are reclaiming the spotlight from the superhero fatigue. If you want to stay ahead of the curve for the next awards season, keep an eye on the festival circuits like Cannes and Sundance; that’s where the 2025 winners first started their journey to the Dolby.