The 2025 Oscars pulled off something rare: a night that felt both unpredictable and completely inevitable. The big story? Anora—Sean Baker’s indie drama about a Brooklyn sex worker—came in hot and left with a dominant five wins, including Best Picture. A scrappy, low-budget film taking Hollywood’s top prize? It’s the kind of underdog narrative that plays like a movie itself. But the real shocker wasn’t Anora’s victory—it was just how much ground it covered. Baker walked away with a staggering four Oscars (Director, Original Screenplay, Film Editing, and Picture), making him the first filmmaker in decades to claim that many solo wins in one night.
Then came Mikey Madison’s Best Actress win. The 25-year-old, best known for Better Things and Scream (2022), took down industry veteran Demi Moore (The Substance), who many assumed had this in the bag. Madison’s stunned reaction mirrored the crowd—this wasn’t just a passing of the torch moment; it was a signal that new blood is reshaping Hollywood’s top tier.
On the actor’s side, Adrien Brody secured his second Oscar for The Brutalist, proving that his Pianist win 22 years ago wasn’t just a one-time fluke. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr., fresh off last year’s Oppenheimer glory, walked away empty-handed for his supporting role in The Sympathizer. A minor shock, considering his resurgence, but a sign the Academy wasn’t here to rubber-stamp last year’s favorites.
The night also made history. Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez) became the first openly trans nominee in a leading acting category. The Palestinian documentary No Other Land took home Best Documentary, a politically charged win that didn’t go unnoticed in an already tense awards season.
And then there was the ceremony itself. Conan O’Brien kept things loose, skewering Hollywood without crossing into Ricky Gervais-style brutality. The “In Memoriam” segment stirred backlash (as always), Adam Sandler showed up looking like it was a grocery run, and the musical numbers were a mixed bag.
But the real takeaway? 2025 belonged to the independents. Baker’s Anora wasn’t just the little film that could—it was the little film that did.
Here are all the winners!
Best Picture – “Anora,” (Neon) Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, Producers (WINNER)
“The Brutalist” (A24)
“A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight) Fred Berger, James Mangold and Alex Heineman, Producers
“Conclave” (Focus Features) Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman, Producers
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve, Producers
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
“I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classic)
“Nickel Boys” (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
“The Substance” (MUBI)
“Wicked” (Universal) Marc Platt, Producer
Best Director – Sean Baker, “Anora” (WINNER)
Brady Corbet “The Brutalist”
James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”
Actor in a Leading Role – Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” (WINNER)
Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”
Actress in a Leading Role – Mikey Madison, “Anora” (WINNER)
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”
Actor in a Supporting Role – Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” (WINNER)
Yura Borisov, “Anora”
Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”
Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”
Actress in a Supporting Role – Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez” (WINNER)
Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
Adapted Screenplay – “Conclave,” Screenplay by Peter Straughan (WINNER)
“A Complete Unknown”, Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
“Emilia Pérez,” Screenplay by Jacques Audiard in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
“Nickel Boys,” Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
“Sing Sing,” Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield
Original Screenplay – “Anora,” Written by Sean Baker (WINNER)
“The Brutalist,” Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
“A Real Pain,” Written by Jesse Eisenberg
“September 5,” Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Co-Written by Alex David
“The Substance,” Written by Coralie Fargeat
Animated Short Film – “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi (WINNER)
“Beautiful Men,” (Miyu Distribution) Nicolas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande
“Magic Candies,” (Toei Animation) Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio
“Wander to Wonder,” ” (Miyu Distribution) Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper
“Yuck!” (Miyu Distribution) Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet
Costume Design – “Wicked,” Paul Tazewell (WINNER)
“A Complete Unknown,” Arianne Phillips
“Conclave,” Lisy Christl
“Gladiator II,” Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
“Nosferatu,” Linda Muir
Live Action Short Film – “I’m Not a Robot” (The New Yorker) Victoria Warmerdam and Trent (WINNER)
“A Lien,” Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz
“Anuja,” Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai
“The Last Ranger,” Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” (Manifest) Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek
Makeup and Hairstyling – “The Substance,” Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli (WINNER)
“A Different Man,” Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado
“Emilia Pérez,” Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
“Nosferatu,” David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne StokesMunton
“Wicked,” Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth
Original Score – “The Brutalist,” Daniel Blumberg (WINNER)
“Conclave,” Volker Bertelmann
“Emilia Pérez,” Clément Ducol and Camille
“Wicked,” John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
“The Wild Robot,” Kris Bowers
Animated Feature Film – “Flow” (Sideshow/Janus Films) (WINNER)
“Inside Out 2” (Walt Disney) Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen
“Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films) Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (Netflix)
“The Wild Robot” (Universal) Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann
Cinematography – “The Brutalist,” Lol Crawley (WINNER)
“Dune: Part Two,” Greig Fraser
“Emilia Pérez,” Paul Guilhaume
“Maria,” Ed Lachman
“Nosferatu,” Jarin Blaschke
Documentary Feature Film – “No Other Land,” Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham (WINNER)
“Black Box Diaries” (MTV Documentary Films) Shiori Ito, Eric Nyari and Hanna Aqvilin
“Porcelain War” (Picturehouse) Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska and Paula DuPre’ Pesmen
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” (Kino Lorber) Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius and Rémi Grellety
“Sugarcane” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Documentary Short Film – “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” (Netflix) Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington (WINNER)
“Death by Numbers” Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard
“I Am Ready, Warden” (MTV Documentary Films) Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp
“Incident” (The New Yorker) Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven
“Instruments of a Beating Heart” (The New York Times OpDocs/Cineric Creative) Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari
Film Editing – “Anora” Sean Baker (WINNER)
“The Brutalist” David Jancso
“Conclave” Nick Emerson
“Emilia Pérez” Juliette Welfling
“Wicked” Myron Kerstein
International Feature Film – “I’m Still Here,” Brazil (WINNER)
“The Girl with the Needle,” Denmark
“Emilia Pérez,” France
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” Germany
“Flow,” Latvia
Original Song – “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez,” Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard (WINNER)
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight,” Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing,” Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez,” Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late,” Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
Production Design – “Wicked,” Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales (WINNER)
“The Brutalist,” Production Design: Judy Becker, Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
“Conclave,” Production Design: Suzie Davies, Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
“Dune: Part Two,” Production Design: Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
“Nosferatu,” Production Design: Craig Lathrop, Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
Sound – “Dune: Part Two,” Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill (WINNER)
“A Complete Unknown,” Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco
“Emilia Perez,” Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta
“Wicked,” Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis
“The Wild Robot,” Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts
Visual Effects – “Dune: Part Two,” Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer (WINNER)
“Alien: Romulus,” Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan
“Better Man,” Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke
“Wicked,” Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould
