‘Anora’ Headlines a Night of Surprises and Records at the Oscars 2025
A diverse selection of nominees and a wise-cracking host in Conan O’Brien characterise a splendid occasion.
Los Angeles, U.S.A., March 3, 2025: It was an Oscar night to remember. Well perhaps, more so for the winners. But the 97th edition of the Hollywood awards ceremony saw nominees from across genres - with everything from musical to comedy to drama to crime to horror and in some cases, offbeat combinations! This was an occasion which also sparkled with themes of inclusivity, tolerance and remembrance. The evening’s most coveted prize of Best Picture went to the Anora – an often humorous tale with serious undertones about an exotic dancer/sex-worker who strikes up a relationship with the son of a Russian business honcho. What’s more, the film also surprisingly won Best Actress for newcomer Mikey Madison who pipped favourite veteran Demi Moore to the post - despite the latter’s much-praised turn in the shocker The Substance.
Meanwhile, Anora – a brainchild and labour of love by Sean Baker – garnered the filmmaker a record 4 Oscars which included Original Screenplay, Directing and Editing. Baker’s quartet of scalps in one ceremony equalled that of the famous animation personality Walt Disney in 1954. The tenacious Adrien Brody who took home the Oscar for the lead role in The Pianist (2002), did the same for his performance in The Brutalist – playing a holocaust-surviving architect this time around. In so doing, Brody edged out Ralph Fiennes for his turn in the Vatican-set thriller Conclave and Timothee Chalamet for his portrayal of legendry folk-rocker Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. On receiving the glowing statuette, Brody delivered a defiantly long speech, with even the live orchestra unable to drown him out.
One of the Ceremony’s biggest losers this year was the Spanish-language French film Emilia Perez, which secured only 2 wins from 13 nominations. But this musical crime comedy about a retiring drug cartel kingpin who wishes to morph into a woman, garnered a richly deserved Best Supporting Actress statuette for Zoe Saldana. Saldana who thus became the first American of Dominican descent to receive this honour, eloquently acknowledged her hardworking and determined ancestry. Meanwhile, Kieran Culkin ensnared the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Real Pain, in which he plays one of two incompatible cousins who visit Poland in honour of their dead grandmother.
The Oscars 2025 also assumed a political tone with the Brazilian film - I’m Still Here - about historical dictatorial rule, winning Best International Feature; and No Other Land about the troubled West Bank, snatching Best Documentary. Meanwhile, not surprisingly, the much-anticipated sci-fi film Dune 2, took home Oscars for Visual Effects and Sound; and The Brutalist earned Best Cinematography for its capturing of a bygone American era, along with winning Best Original Score. Then, The Wizard of Oz-inspired Wicked received deserving Awards for Production Design and Costumes, while Conclave was honoured with the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar and Emilia Perez won Best Song for the number 'El Mal'. This, while the horror flick The Substance, got a consolation, courtesy Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Other highlights of the show included a bizarre song-and-dance opening sequence by talk show personality Conan O’Brien (who made his debut as Oscars host); Culkin in his acceptance speech asking his wife for one more child; actor Morgan Freeman delivering a speech of remembrance for his recently-deceased Unforgiven co-star Gene Hackman; and a tribute by a group of first responders to those persons who perished in the L.A. wildfires earlier this year. As emcee, O’Brien was at his humorous best, making light-hearted digs at some of the nominees - including Chalamet and his pre-natal “headshot”. Also, in recognition of Anora’s successes over the course of the evening, O’Brien quipped, “I guess Americans are excited to see someone finally stand up to a powerful Russian!"
