Snapshots
The Academy Awards are the biggest night in the world of cinema, with the biggest of stars, the most creative of productions, and a whole lot of glamour. The 97th Academy Awards, held in Hollywood, USA, on Sunday, March 2, 2025, were no different. The red carpet saw the who’s who of tinsel town turn up in their best looks, and the hush-hush talks of who’s all set to win what. In the wake of the natural disaster LA is recovering from, the gala also paid tributes to the firefighters who aided communities impacted by the wildfires, earlier this year.
The 2025 Oscars were also a little different when it came to entrees as well as winners this year. The biggest winner last night was Anora, which happens to be a dramedy about a sex worker who marries the pampered son of a Russian oligarch, helmed by Sean Baker was an indie production, and in fact the lowest grossing film in the awards history. Many others who emerged winners were also in fact small scale productions, marking a new wave in the industry.
Best Picture - Anora
Prior to shining bright at the 97th Annual Academy Awards, this 2024 release has also bagged the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May last year. The film that follows the story of a New York stripper who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch and watches her fairytale twist and turn, was the biggest winner of the last night. The auteur behind the film, Sean Baker took home multiple of the golden trophies.
Actor in a Leading Role - Adrien Brody - The Brutalist
One of the most loved performances throughout the awards season, Brody’s portrayal of a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor won him the award for the best actor in a leading role at the 2025 Oscars. The actor, while accepting his award, also talked about how the other-ism has been impacting the society lately.
Actress in a Leading Role - Mikey Madison - Anora
Amongst the many awards that Anora collected was the best actress in a leading role that went to Mikey Madison for her stellar portrayal. The twenty five year old actress was also nominated for multiple other awards for her performance in the film.
Actor in a Supporting Role - Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
The Succession star was one of the big Oscars 2025 winners and was expected by many to emerge as one, given his amazing award season run for the performance in A Real Pain. Culkin plays the role of Benjamin Kaplan, a free-spirited and mentally unstable drifter who travels to Poland with his cousin to honor their late grandmother.
Actress in a Supporting Role - Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez
While the competition for the category was tough, Saldaña was a crowd favourite to be the winner. During her acceptance speech, the actress emphasized her immigrant roots, especially in the wake of the socio-political scenario in the country.
Animated Feature Film - Flow
If you’ve seen Flow, you’d expect this significant win at the 2025 Oscars. The movie, that is said to be made on quite a stringent budget has been winning it all during the awards season. Following a cat in an post apocalyptic world, this movie with zero dialogues has our whole heart.
Animated Short Film - In the Shadow of the Cypress
The heartwarming animated Iranian short traces the story of a former captain, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, who lives with his daughter in an isolated seaside house. The filmmaker duo dedicated the win to their country, “We dedicate our film and this special award to all those who are still fighting in their inner and outer battles, heroically and nobody knows about that. Especially to our fellow Iranians, who are still suffering.”
Documentary Feature Film - No Other Land
The film that happened to be the most talked about at the 2025 Oscars was the documentary feature winner No Other Land. The production, backed by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, focuses on the destruction of the occupied West Bank's Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance which then develops between the Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham.
In addition to this, the Oscars 2025 Winners list includes Sean Baker, who won the Academy Award for Directing, Original Screenplay, and Film Editing, in addition to the Best Picture. Peter Straughan won the Best Adapted Screenplay for Conclave; Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley won the best Production Design for Wicked, and Daniel Blumberg won the best Original Score for The Brutalist.