The 2025 Academy Awards delivered a night filled with excitement, unexpected victories, and well-deserved recognitions, showcasing the best in filmmaking over the past year. Sean Baker’s Anora emerged as the biggest winner, claiming Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, solidifying its status as a standout in independent cinema. Meanwhile, The Brutalist also had a strong presence, securing wins in Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.

Major Acting Awards

Adrien Brody won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his powerful performance in The Brutalist, overcoming tough competition from Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing). In the Best Actress category, Mikey Madison (Anora) claimed victory in a fiercely contested race against Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) and Demi Moore (The Substance).

Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) took home Best Supporting Actor, while Zoe Saldaña’s performance in Emilia Pérez earned her Best Supporting Actress, marking another significant win for the Jacques Audiard-directed musical crime drama.

Top Film Awards

Anora took home Best Picture, defeating strong contenders like The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, and Dune: Part Two. In the international category, Best International Feature Film went to I’m Still Here from Brazil, triumphing over Denmark’s The Girl with the Needle and Germany’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

Technical Achievements

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two made an impact in the technical categories, winning Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. Meanwhile, Wicked dazzled in the craft categories, earning wins in Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. The Substance won Best Makeup and Hairstyling, further proving its strength in visual transformation.

Screenplay and Music

Peter Straughan’s adaptation of Conclave won Best Adapted Screenplay, while Sean Baker’s work on Anora earned him Best Original Screenplay. The award for Best Original Score went to The Brutalist, composed by Daniel Blumberg. In the Best Original Song category, El Mal from Emilia Pérez emerged victorious, further cementing the film’s musical legacy.

Animation and Documentary Wins

The animated feature category saw Flow taking home Best Animated Feature Film, while In the Shadow of the Cypress claimed Best Animated Short Film. In the documentary categories, No Other Land won Best Documentary Feature Film, and The Only Girl in the Orchestra won Best Documentary Short Film.

Looking Ahead

The 2025 Oscars celebrated diverse storytelling, with independent films like Anora and The Brutalist making a major impact. The recognition of international cinema, compelling performances, and technical achievements reflected the evolving landscape of the film industry.

With another unforgettable Academy Awards now in the books, cinephiles eagerly anticipate what the next year in cinema will bring.

The 2025 Academy Awards delivered a night of incredible achievements, historic wins, and major surprises. Anora emerged as the biggest winner, taking home Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, while The Brutalist secured multiple awards, including Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. Dune: Part Two dominated in technical categories, and Emilia Pérez made history with multiple wins in acting and music.

Major Acting Awards

Actor in a Leading Role

✅ Winner: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Nominees:

• Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
• Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
• Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
• Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice

Actor in a Supporting Role

✅ Winner: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Nominees:

• Yura Borisov – Anora
• Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
• Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
• Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

Actress in a Leading Role

✅ Winner: Mikey Madison – Anora
Nominees:

• Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
• Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
• Demi Moore – The Substance
• Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here

Actress in a Supporting Role

✅ Winner: Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
Nominees:

• Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown
• Ariana Grande – Wicked
• Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
• Isabella Rossellini – Conclave

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Film Awards

Best Picture

✅ Winner: Anora – Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker, Producers
Nominees:

• The Brutalist
• A Complete Unknown
• Conclave
• Dune: Part Two
• Emilia Pérez
• I’m Still Here
• Nickel Boys
• The Substance
• Wicked

International Feature Film

✅ Winner: I’m Still Here (Brazil)
Nominees:

• The Girl with the Needle (Denmark)
• Emilia Pérez (France)
• The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany)
• Flow (Latvia)

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Technical and Craft Awards

Cinematography

✅ Winner: The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Nominees:

• Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
• Emilia Pérez – Paul Guilhaume
• Maria – Ed Lachman
• Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

Costume Design

✅ Winner: Wicked – Paul Tazewell
Nominees:

• A Complete Unknown – Arianne Phillips
• Conclave – Lisy Christl
• Gladiator II – Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
• Nosferatu – Linda Muir

Production Design

✅ Winner: Wicked – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Nominees:

• The Brutalist
• Conclave
• Dune: Part Two
• Nosferatu

Makeup and Hairstyling

✅ Winner: The Substance
Nominees:

• A Different Man
• Emilia Pérez
• Nosferatu
• Wicked

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Screenplay and Music

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

✅ Winner: Conclave – Peter Straughan
Nominees:

• A Complete Unknown
• Emilia Pérez
• Nickel Boys
• Sing Sing

Writing (Original Screenplay)

✅ Winner: Anora – Sean Baker
Nominees:

• The Brutalist
• A Real Pain
• September 5
• The Substance

Music (Original Score)

✅ Winner: The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Nominees:

• Conclave
• Emilia Pérez
• Wicked
• The Wild Robot

Music (Original Song)

✅ Winner: El Mal – Emilia Pérez
Nominees:

• The Journey – The Six Triple Eight
• Like A Bird – Sing Sing
• Mi Camino – Emilia Pérez
• Never Too Late – Elton John: Never Too Late

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Animated and Documentary Categories

Animated Feature Film

✅ Winner: Flow
Nominees:

• Inside Out 2
• Memoir of a Snail
• Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
• The Wild Robot

Animated Short Film

✅ Winner: In the Shadow of the Cypress
Nominees:

• Beautiful Men
• Magic Candies
• Wander to Wonder
• Yuck!

Documentary Feature Film

✅ Winner: No Other Land
Nominees:

• Black Box Diaries
• Porcelain War
• Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
• Sugarcane

Documentary Short Film

✅ Winner: The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Nominees:

• Death by Numbers
• I Am Ready, Warden
• Incident
• Instruments of a Beating Heart

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Live Action and Technical Categories

Live Action Short Film

✅ Winner: I’m Not a Robot
Nominees:

• A Lien
• Anuja
• The Last Ranger
• The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Film Editing

✅ Winner: Anora – Sean Baker
Nominees:

• The Brutalist
• Conclave
• Emilia Pérez
• Wicked

Sound

✅ Winner: Dune: Part Two
Nominees:

• A Complete Unknown
• Emilia Pérez
• Wicked
• The Wild Robot

Visual Effects

✅ Winner: Dune: Part Two
Nominees:

• Alien: Romulus
• Better Man
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
• Wicked

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Conclusion

The 2025 Academy Awards recognized a diverse array of films, celebrating both blockbuster hits like Dune: Part Two and Wicked as well as indie darlings like Anora and The Brutalist. With powerful performances, stunning cinematography, and groundbreaking storytelling, this year’s Oscars truly showcased the best of cinema.

What was your favorite win of the night? 🚀🎬