The 2025 Oscars are in! This past Sunday marked the 97th Academy Awards, held in the Dolby Theater at Ovation Hollywood. The event gathered some of the film industry’s biggest stars and movie moguls, with several films coming out on top of the awards season. Notable works winning in multiple categories included The Brutalist and Anora.
The Academy Awards, also known generally as the Oscars, were first held on May 16, 1929 in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Blossom Room. The awards ceremony was inaugurated thanks to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), an organization founded in 1927. One of the goals for this new organization was to create an awards system that would motivate motion picture production and honor those who produced outstanding work.
It was determined that awards would be given for the five branches of the Academy—actors, directors, writers, producers, and technicians. The physical award was designed shortly after the first AMPAS meeting, and it consisted of a knight and sword standing on top of a reel of film. The five Academy branches were symbolized in the five spokes of the film reel. The design has remained largely the same over the last century.
Since the 1929 Academy Awards, over 3,000 Oscar statuettes have been presented to exceptional people in the film industry. It remains one of the most recognized awards in the world today and stands as the crowning achievement for many actors and people in the industry.
Despite its status as Hollywood’s biggest, most celebratory night, the Academy Awards have also been criticized for various different reasons. Though the quality of the films and acting remain key to Academy nominations, general popularity and box office sales are also taken into account. This has been perhaps the most controversial issue in recent Oscar years. The lack of diversity in the Academy and its focus on American media has also sparked debate. This conversation came to a head in 2020 when Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite became the first international film to win Best Picture.
The 2025 Oscars, honoring films released in 2024, were also surrounded by debate as people inevitably claimed certain movies and actors were snubbed of their rightful wins. Yet the films that were honored were also with resounding appreciation. Both The Brutalist and Anora swept the awards ceremony, and some other key films of the previous year include Emilia Pérez, Wicked, and Dune: Part 2. See below for the full list of award winners.
Actor in a Leading Role: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Actor in a Supporting Role: Kieran Culkin. A Real Pain
Actress in a Leading Role: Mikey Madison, Anora
Actress in a Supporting Role: Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Animated Feature Film: Flow
Animated Short Film: In the Shadow of the Cypress
Cinematography: The Brutalist
Costume Design: Wicked
Directing: Sean Baker, Anora
Documentary Feature Film: No Other Land
Documentary Short Film: The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Film Editing: Sean Baker, Anora
International Feature Film: I’m Still Here (Brazil)
Makeup and Hairstyling: The Substance
Music (Original Score): The Brutalist
Music (Original Song): El Mal, Emilia Pérez
Best Picture: Anora
Production Design: Wicked
Live Action Short Film: I’m Not a Robot
Sound: Dune: Part 2
Visual Effects: Dune: Part 2
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Peter Straughan, Conclave
Writing (Original Screenplay): Sean Baker, Anora
~ Moya Stringer `25
Be First to Comment