This year’s Academy Awards were as unpredictable as it gets, and they brought many epic moments our way. It was a night to remember for the cast and crew of Anora, as Sean Baker’s indie comedy emerged as the night’s biggest winner with five Oscars, including the coveted best picture award.
Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist, Wicked, and Conclave were some of the front-runners for the best picture prize, but they couldn’t stand their ground against Anora. Sean Baker collected an Oscar for producing this acclaimed indie comedy, in addition to being honored for his work as its director, screenwriter, and editor.
Mikey Madison, the leading lady of Anora, also had a reason to celebrate after beating tough competition to win an Oscar for her titular role in this film. The list of winners in the acting categories also included Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), and Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez).
The Brutalist was among the night’s biggest winners, and it walked away with three trophies after scoring ten nominations. Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, and Wicked were right behind with two each, mostly in technical categories.
The 2025 Academy Awards took place on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with Conan O’Brien hosting the festivities for the first time.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS AT THE 2025 ACADEMY AWARDS:
BEST PICTURE
Anora
A Cre Films Production
Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Mikey Madison – Anora
DIRECTING
Sean Baker – Anora
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
The Brutalist
Daniel Blumberg
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
I’m Still Here (Brazil)
A VideoFilmes Produções Artísticas Production
CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist
Lol Crawley
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
I’m Not a Robot
Victoria Warmerdam and Trent
VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune: Part Two
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer
SOUND
Dune: Part Two
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
No Other Land
An Antipode Films Production
Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
Music by Clément Ducol and Camille
Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Wicked
Production Design: Nathan Crowley
Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
FILM EDITING
Anora
Sean Baker
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
The Substance
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Conclave
Screenplay by Peter Straughan
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Anora
Written by Sean Baker
COSTUME DESIGN
Wicked
Paul Tazewell
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
