The film “Anora” emerged victorious at the 2025 Oscars, clinching an impressive five awards, which included Best Picture and Best Director at the 97th Academy Awards. Sean Baker, the multi-talented individual behind “Anora,” secured four Oscars during the ceremony, matching Walt Disney’s record for the most Academy Awards won by a single person in a year. Baker’s feat was remarkable as he won all four awards for the same movie, while Disney had achieved wins for different projects back in 1954. (Bong Joon-Ho had accepted four statues at the 2020 ceremony, but the win for Best International Feature was officially attributed to South Korea, not him as an individual.)
“Emilia Pérez” received the highest number of nominations with 13, including recognition for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, and multiple acting nominations. Karla Sofía Gascón created history by becoming the first transgender woman ever nominated in any acting category for her portrayal of the title character in the film. However, her Oscar campaign faced controversy when offensive social media posts resurfaced. The award for Best Actress ultimately went to Mikey Madison for her role in “Anora.”
“Wicked,” based on the popular Broadway musical, and “The Brutalist” followed closely with 10 nominations each, both vying for Best Picture, Best Director, and various acting nods. Zoe Saldaña made history as the first American of Dominican descent to win an Oscar, securing the award for Best Supporting Actress, one of the two wins for “Emilia Pérez” that night.
In the Best Actor category, Adrian Brody secured his second Oscar for his portrayal of architect László Tóth in “The Brutalist.” Timothée Chalamet, nominated for his role as folk singer Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” aimed to break Brody’s record. Other nominees included Ralph Fiennes for “Conclave,” Colman Domingo, and Sebastian Stan, who could have been the first to win Best Actor for playing a sitting U.S. president.
Conan O’Brien, the former host of “Late Night” and “The Tonight Show,” presided over the ceremony. While having previously hosted the Emmys twice, this marked O’Brien’s debut as the master of ceremonies for the Academy Awards.
Find below the complete list of winners and nominees for each category as they were announced:
**Best Picture**
– “Anora” — Winner
– “The Brutalist”
– “A Complete Unknown”
– “Conclave”
– “Dune: Part Two”
– “Emilia Pérez”
– “I’m Still Here”
– “Nickel Boys”
– “The Substance”
– “Wicked”
**Best Actress**
– Mikey Madison, “Anora” — Winner
– Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
– Karla
Actress Emilia Pérez won the Best Cinematography award for her outstanding work in Coralie Fargeat’s film, “The Substance.” Other notable nominees in the category included Lol Crawley for “The Brutalist,” Greig Fraser for “Dune: Part Two,” Paul Guillaume for “Emilia Pérez,” Edward Lachman for “Maria,” and Jarin Blaschke for “Nosferatu.”
The Best Animated Feature category saw the film “Flow” emerge as the victor, beating out competitors like “Inside Out 2,” “Memoir of a Snail,” “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” and “The Wild Robot.” Additionally, the Best Animated Short award went to “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” triumphing over nominees such as “Beautiful Men,” “Magic Candies,” “Wander to Wonder,” and “Yuck!”
In the realm of costume design, Paul Tazewell’s work in “Wicked” was recognized with the Best Costume Design award. Other nominees in this category included Arianne Phillips for “A Complete Unknown,” Lisy Christl for “Conclave,” Janty Yates for “Gladiator II,” and Linda Muir for “Nosferatu.”
The coveted Best Original Screenplay award was presented to Sean Baker for his work on “Anora.” The category also featured nominees such as Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold for “The Brutalist,” Jesse Eisenberg for “A Real Pain,” Tim Fehlbaum & Moritz Binder for “September 5,” and Coralie Fargeat for “The Substance.” On the other hand, the Best Adapted Screenplay accolade went to Peter Straughan for “Conclave,” with other nominees including Jay Cocks & James Mangold for “A Complete Unknown,” Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain & Nicolas Livecchi for “Emilia Pérez,” RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes for “Nickel Boys,” and Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin & John “Divine G” Whitfield for “Sing Sing.”
“The Substance” secured the Best Makeup and Hairstyling award, prevailing over competitors like “A Different Man,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Nosferatu,” and “Wicked.” In the category of Best Film Editing, the film “Anora” clinched the top spot, with competitors including Dávid Jancsó for “The Brutalist,” Nick Emerson for “Conclave,” Juliette Welfling for “Emilia Pérez,” and Myron Kerstein for “Wicked.”
For the Best Production Design award, Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales were recognized for their work on “Wicked.” Other contenders in this category included Judy Becker for “The Brutalist,” Suzie Davies for “Conclave,” Patrice Vermette for “Dune: Part Two,” and Craig Lathrop
