Anora, a story of Cindera, a fairytale never-ending strip club, won the best photo at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, handing over the top award for Screwball Farsel Hollywood in Sean Baker’s gritty Brooklyn set.
With a stubbornly fluctuating Oscar season, “Anola,” the Palme de al Wiener at the Cannes Film Festival, emerged as an unlikely frontline. The story of Baker, an erotic dancer eloping with the son of a Russian oligarch – unusually explicit for the winner of the best picture – was made for just $6 million.
However, Oscar voters avoided blockbuster contenders like “Evil” and “Dune: Part 2,” and instead added “Anora” to a string of recent Indie Best Picture winners, including “All Places, All Places”, “Codas”, and “Nomadlands”.
For the film industry, transformed by streaming and humbled by economic disruption, Baker and “Anola” represented a kind of film purity. On the campaign trail, Baker called for a return to an exclusive 90-day theatrical release.
“Where did we fall in love with the movie? In the cinemas, Baker said on Sunday. “Filmmakers, keep making movies for the big screen.”
Baker, who won four Oscars on Sunday, tied the mark held by Walt Disney, who won four different films in 1954. It’s ironic that Baker and Disney share records. His “Florida Project” took place at a budget motel in Florida in the shadow of Disneyland.
Twenty-two years after winning Best Actor in “Pianist,” Adrian Brody once again won the same Oscar for his performance as a different Holocaust survivor in Brady Corbett’s “Brutalist.”
Brody’s victory spans Timote Chalamett (“The Complete Unknown”), who could have been the youngest and greatest actor ever, a record owned by Brody.
“I represent the trauma that remains here again, the war and systemic oppression, anti-Semitism and racism, and other consequences,” Brody said. “I pray for a healthier, happier, more inclusive world. If the past can teach us something, then it’s not to check for hatred.”
Mikey Madison won the best actress for her groundbreaking performance in “Anora.” This is a victory that led to category favourite Demi Moore (“Material”).
“Anora” filmmaker Sean Baker won Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing. Baker used his acceptance speech for the best director to preach passionately for the theatrical experience.
Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman spoke with Hollywood’s Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover at the 2025 Oscars.
“Where did we fall in love with films? In the cinema, we’re talking about filmmakers, continuing to make movies for the big screen.”
“I want to thank the sex workers community,” Baker said. It reflected the comments he made when “Anola” won the Palme Door at the Cannes Film Festival. “They shared their stories. They have shared life experiences with me over the years. My deepest respect. Thank you. I will share this with you.”
Otherwise, Oscar spread love and awarded awards to “Anora”, “Conclave”, “Evil”, and “Material”. Eight of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture won at least one award at the Dolby Theater on Sunday. Supporting the actress of Zoe Saldaña.
“I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams, dignity and hardworking hands,” Saldanya said. “I am the first Dominican American to accept the Academy Awards and I know that I am not the last.”
Expected victory and upset
The first award of the night announced by Robert Downey Jr. went to Kieran Culkin for the best supporting actor. Culkin was awarded and won awards throughout the season, winning awards and performances with Jesse Eisenberg and “A Real Pain.”
“I don’t know how I got here,” Culkin said.
Culkin recalled most of his speeches on his previous hypothetical promise from his wife Jazz Charton, recalling that if he wins an Oscar, he could have a fourth child. Culkin took advantage of this opportunity to pick up Charton (the love of my life, you are the love of small faith).
The biggest upset early on belonged to the best animation feature category. The Latvian film without the word “Flow” disrupts DreamWorks Animations’ “The Wild Robot.” The victory of “Flow,” an ecological parable about cats in a flooded world, was the first Oscar in Latvian films.
“Thank you to my cat and dog,” the director accepts the award for Gilvarodis.
Ariana Grande spoke with Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover and talked about her custom Schiaparelli Gown. She also did some fun “Evil” “Tostos” moments and responded to the idea of a potential “Evil 2” song!
“Wicked” wins 2 times
“Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Eribo launched the ceremony in honor of Los Angeles following the wildfires that destroyed a major Southern California city earlier this year. Grande sang “Somewhere in the Rainbow,” while Eribo played Diana Ross’ “Home,” and came together for “Defing Gravity” from the big-screen musical that was a huge hit.
Later, the box office gross of the best painting nominees, “Wicked” won awards for production and costume design.
“I’m the first black man to win a costume design award,” said costume designer Paul Tazewell, who couldn’t finish the sentence before the crowd stood up with a standing ovation. “I’m very proud of this.”
The best makeup and hair styling went to “material” for the bloody creations of beauty and body horror. Dune: Part 2 won both visual effects and sound.
Brady Corbet’s vast postwar epic, “The Brutalist,” was filmed on Vistavision and won the cinema shoot with Lol Crawley and his score by Daniel Blumberg.
Politics is not mentioned at first
Oscar featured when the actor was first nominated for portraying the US president where he sits (Sebastian Stan as the young Donald Trump in “Apprentice”), but politics were barely mentioned in the first half of the ceremony.
Host Conan O’Brien shunned the topic completely in his opening monologue. The first exception was almost two hours later when presenter Daryl Hanna simply announced “Slava Ukraine” (“Glory to Ukraine!”).
Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg both stopped separately on the 2025 Oscar red carpet, each accessed at Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover at Hollywood. They were offered shots and there were various ways to drink them!
“There Are No Other Land,” a documentary about the occupation of Israel in the West Bank, created by collation between Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, won Best Documentary. After failing to find a US distributor, the filmmakers chose to self-distribute “no other lands.” It won more than any other documentary candidate.
“There is another path, a political solution, and the national rights of both our people, without ethnic superiority,” said Yubal Abraham of Israel, speaking next to Palestinian co-director Basel Adora. “And as I am here, I have to say that the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path. Why? You can’t see us intertwined. Can you understand that if the people in Basel are not really free, my people are really not safe?
Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here,” a portrait of resistance under Brazil’s military dictatorship, won Best International Film. At one point, the award looked like “Emilia Perez” rock. This is a lead candidate with 13 nods, backed by a robust campaign by Netflix.
But while “Emilia Perez” collapsed, “I’m still here” drove a wave of passionate support and political timeliness from Brazil.
O’Brien scores in the opening
Referred as “four Oscar viewers,” O’Brien held the ceremony with a gentle rib of the candidate and former talk show host’s trademark self-deprecating.
“The complete unknown.” ” “Real pain.” “Nosferatu.” These are just a few of the names I was called on the red carpet,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien was hosting for the first time, avoiding political commentary in his opening remarks, but the monologue was a huge hit. O’Brien lends John Lithgow’s face in disappointment. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is being delivered to the red carpet of a cardboard box from Adam Sandler.
O’Brien’s most sincere comments were reserved for Los Angeles itself by talking about the film’s enduring “magic and grandeur” in the wake of wildfires. O’Brien, whose home in Pallisard in the Pacific, was spared by a fire, sang, “I’m not wasting my time.”
Cynthia Eribo got dressed on Hollywood’s biggest night! The “Evil” star and best actress nominee was surprised by the 2025 Oscars custom Louis Vuitton dark green gown and shared the inspiration behind Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover look. And Cynthia shares her stunning “evil” inspired manicure, continuing to get closer, revealing that it took more than four hours for her nails to be completed. Cynthia also reacts to her and Ariana Grande’s adorable throwback photos, and could be ego if she brings her Oscar home!
Unpredictable Oscar Year
This year’s Oscars have been one of the most unpredictable over the years and have not been planted after a tumultuous year for the film industry. Ticket sales fell 3% from the previous year, significantly lowering from pre-pandemic times. The 2023 strike wreaked havoc in its release schedule in 2024. Many studios have returned to production and have given them a lot of work. The January fire added to the pain.
Last year’s television broadcast was driven by the blockbuster Oppenheimer and Barbie twins, leading the Oscar to a four-year audience with 19.5 million viewers. With smaller, independent films in favour of the most prominent awards this year, the Academy will be tested to bring out a large portion of its audience.
The ceremony took place for several days after Gene Hackman’s death. The 95-year-old two-time Oscar winner and his wife, Betsie Arakawa, were found dead at his New Mexico home on Wednesday. Morgan Freeman, co-star in “Relentless” and “Unsuspecting” praised him.
“This week, our community lost a giant,” Freeman said. “And I have lost my dear friend.”
Check out these red hot looks from the red carpet at the 2025 Academy Awards.
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