The 2025 Academy Awards had many Oscar wins spread out across the board, but Anora came out on top.
Ninety-six years, and the 2025 Oscars continue to amaze the artists and audiences watching. The 96th Academy Awards continued its traditions for decades, with its glitz and glamour of celebrities, film/TV stars and musicians gathering for one spectacular night. As 2024’s biggest films went head-to-head for awards recognition, Sean Baker’s Anora had the biggest wins of this past Sunday night with five awards. The awards ceremony was hosted by comedian, podcaster, and host Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The 2025 Oscars were less dramatic than in previous years, featuring a few risqué jokes and some stars sharing their views on the Ukraine-Russia and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. As far as tributes go, the Academy honoured the James Bond franchise for its cinematic impact on the big screen through the decades. The passing of Quincy Jones and Gene Hackman was highlighted in this year’s memorial segment for their respective contributions to the music and film industries, respectively.
The first battle of the night was tough for Best Supporting Actor, but A Real Pain’s Kieran Culkin won it in the end. As for Best Supporting Actress, Zoe Saldaña provided a triumphant win for her role in Emilia Pérez. A Complete Unknown’s Timothée Chalamet had a chance to rewrite history and dethrone Adrien Brody as the youngest winner in the Best Actor category. But ironically enough, the award went to Brody for his role in The Brutalist. Mikey Madison won her first Oscar for Best Actress, surprising many as Demi Moore had been leading the awards season. for her role in The Substance.
By the end of the night, Anora was the belle of the ball. Writer, director, and editor Baker won in all three of those categories. He tied the record with Walt Disney for the most wins by a single person in one night. It was crazy, but not unrealistic that a modern spin on Pretty Woman could win numerous awards for a film that only had a $6 million budget.
Here is a full list of the 2025 Oscars winners:
BEST PICTURE
WINNER: Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
BEST ACTRESS
WINNER: Mikey Madison, Anora
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
BEST DIRECTOR
WINNER: Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
BEST ACTOR
WINNER: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
WINNER: Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist
Volker Bertelmann, Conclave
John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, Wicked
Clément Ducol and Camille, Emilia Pérez
Kris Bowers, The Wild Robot
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
WINNER: I’m Still Here, Brazil
The Girl With the Needle, Denmark
Emilia Pérez, France
The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Germany
Flow, Latvia
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two
Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez
Edward Lachman, Maria
Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
WINNER: I’m Not a Robot
A Lien
Anuja
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER: Dune: Part Two
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked
BEST SOUND
WINNER: Dune: Part Two
A Complete Unknown
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WINNER: No Other Land
Black Box Diaries
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
WINNER: The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Death by Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
WINNER: “El Mal,” Emilia Pérez
“The Journey,” The Six Triple Eight
“Like a Bird,” Sing Sing
“Mi Camino,” Emilia Pérez
“Never Too Late,” Elton John: Never Too Late
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
WINNER: Wicked
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
WINNER: Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
BEST EDITING
WINNER: Sean Baker, Anora
Dávid Jancsó, The Brutalist
Nick Emerson, Conclave
Juliette Welfling, Emilia Pérez
Myron Kerstein, Wicked
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
WINNER: The Substance
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
Wicked
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER: Peter Straughan, Conclave
Jay Cocks and James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, Sing Sing
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WINNER: Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, and Alex David, September 5
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER: Wicked
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
WINNER: In the Shadow of the Cypress
Beautiful Men
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WINNER: Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
WINNER: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Yura Borisov, Anora
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
