Honestly, the energy at the Dolby Theatre this year felt different. Maybe it was Conan O’Brien finally getting his shot at hosting, or maybe it was just the fact that the movies were actually good—not just "prestige good," but the kind of films people actually watched. By the time the night wrapped up on March 2, 2025, one thing was clear: the Academy is finally done playing it safe.
Anora absolutely steamrolled the competition. If you haven't seen it yet, you're basically living under a rock at this point. Sean Baker didn't just win; he dominated. He took home the hardware for Best Picture, Best Director, and even Best Original Screenplay. He basically tied a record held by Walt Disney himself for the most wins in a single night by one person. That’s wild when you think about it.
It wasn’t just a big night for Baker, though. Oscar awards 2025 winners reflected a massive shift toward international stories and indie darlings that somehow felt bigger than the usual blockbusters.
The Big Four and the Surprises Nobody Saw Coming
Look, we all knew Mikey Madison was the frontrunner for Best Actress. Her performance in Anora was raw, kinetic, and kinda heartbreaking. But seeing her actually hold that gold statue? It felt like a "star is born" moment that wasn't manufactured by a PR firm. She beat out heavyweights like Cynthia Erivo and Demi Moore, which is no small feat.
Then there’s Adrien Brody. Man, what a comeback. Winning Best Actor for The Brutalist made him part of that super-exclusive club of actors with two leading man Oscars. He also gave the longest speech in history—over five minutes! Usually, they’d cue the music on you after sixty seconds, but the room was just... transfixed.
Supporting Categories and Record Breakers
- Zoe Saldaña finally got her flowers. She won Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez, making her the first Dominican American woman to ever win an acting Oscar.
- Kieran Culkin took home Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain. If you’ve followed his career from Succession to the big screen, this felt like the inevitable peak of his "chaos energy" era.
- Paul Tazewell made history, too. He’s the first Black man to win for Best Costume Design (Wicked).
Technical Brilliance and the Global Shift
It’s easy to focus on the actors, but the technical wins this year were where the real craft showed up. Dune: Part Two did exactly what everyone expected: it cleaned up in Sound and Visual Effects. It’s basically the gold standard for how a sequel should look and feel.
But the real "wow" moment for me? Flow winning Best Animated Feature. It’s a dialogue-free movie from Latvia. Think about that for a second. It beat Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot. That just doesn’t happen in the old Hollywood system. It shows that the Academy voters are actually watching the screen, not just the box office receipts.
A Quick Breakdown of the Night’s Tally
- Anora: 5 Wins (The undisputed heavyweight champion)
- The Brutalist: 3 Wins (Brody, Cinematography, and Score)
- Wicked: 2 Wins (Costumes and Production Design)
- Dune: Part Two: 2 Wins (Sound and Visual Effects)
- Emilia Pérez: 2 Wins (Supporting Actress and Original Song)
Brazil also had a massive night. I’m Still Here won Best International Feature, marking the country's first ever win in that category. The room went absolutely nuts for Walter Salles.
What the Oscar Awards 2025 Winners Tell Us About Film
People love to say the Oscars are "out of touch." Maybe they used to be. But the Oscar awards 2025 winners prove that the Academy is leaning into "Author Cinema." When a sole director like Sean Baker wins for editing, writing, and directing his own Best Picture winner, it sends a message to the studios. It says: let the artists work.
We saw The Substance win for Makeup and Hairstyling, which, if you’ve seen that movie, you know is well-deserved (and probably gave the voters nightmares). We saw No Other Land take Documentary Feature, becoming the first Palestinian film to win an Oscar. These aren't "safe" choices. They're choices that reflect a world that’s getting smaller and more connected.
Why You Should Care About the "Snubs"
No list is perfect. A Complete Unknown went 0 for 8. Conclave only managed one win for Adapted Screenplay. Does that mean they’re bad? Of course not. It just means the competition this year was ridiculously dense. When you have a year where The Brutalist and Anora are fighting for the same space, someone is going to go home empty-handed.
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Actionable Insights for Movie Fans
Now that the dust has settled on the 97th Academy Awards, you've got a watchlist to tackle. Don't just stick to the Best Picture winner.
- Watch "Flow" Immediately: Since it has no dialogue, it's the most accessible "international" film you'll ever see. It’s pure visual storytelling.
- Check Out "The Only Girl in the Orchestra": This won Best Documentary Short and it's a gem of a story that most people missed during the initial buzz.
- Compare "Anora" to Baker’s older work: If you liked the winner, go back and watch The Florida Project or Tangerine. You'll see the DNA of a master at work.
The biggest takeaway from this year isn't just a list of names. It's the fact that "International" is no longer a separate category in the minds of voters—it's just "Film." Whether it's a musical about a cartel boss in Emilia Pérez or a dialogue-free cat adventure in Flow, the barriers are coming down.
Final Thought: If you’re looking for a common thread among the winners, it’s vulnerability. From Brody’s towering performance to Madison’s breakout turn, the winners this year didn't just act; they bared their souls. And honestly? That’s why we watch the movies in the first place.