“Anora,” a dramedy about a sex worker who marries the spoiled son of a Russian oligarch, dominated the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, taking home five Oscars, including Best Picture.
Its victory capped a chaotic awards season during which frontrunners shifted constantly, with films like Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist seeing their chances rise and fall as controversies, ranging from offensive tweets to AI-related backlash, shaped the race.
This year’s competition also unfolded against the backdrop of one of Los Angeles’ worst natural disasters. The Oscars acknowledged the crisis with tributes to the firefighters who battled the wildfires and a montage celebrating films shot in the city, from The Long Goodbye to Licorice Pizza.
Sean Baker, the visionary behind Anora, made history by winning four Oscars for the same film – producing, directing, editing, and writing the screenplay.
It was an extraordinary show of support from Hollywood for a filmmaker who has largely worked outside the system, crafting indie gems like Tangerine and The Florida Project.
Critics had championed Anora throughout the awards season, and its Oscar triumph marked a major moment for Neon, the indie studio behind the film. The distributor previously steered Parasite to a Best Picture win in 2020.
Despite its success, Anora earned only $40 million globally, making it one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture winners in history. However, many of this year’s top winners came from independent studios.
This shift reflects how major studios, focused on blockbuster franchises, have largely abandoned the kind of adult-oriented films that traditionally dominate awards season. Big-budget nominees like Dune: Part Two and Wicked only won in technical categories.
Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) and Mikey Madison (Anora) took home the top acting honors. Brody, a previous Oscar winner for The Pianist, played a brilliant but tormented architect, while Madison scored a surprise victory for her role as an exotic dancer pressured to annul her marriage.
Madison, who had been widely expected to lose to Demi Moore (The Substance), was visibly stunned.
“I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away,” she said. “Standing here today is incredible.” She also pledged her support for the sex worker community, calling herself “an ally.”
Brody’s win, one of three for The Brutalist, marked a career resurgence after years of being sidelined by the industry. He acknowledged the ups and downs in his acceptance speech.
Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) won Best Supporting Actor for playing a troubled man traveling through Poland with his cousin, while Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) won Best Supporting Actress for portraying a lawyer who helps a cartel leader undergo gender-affirming surgery.
With tears in her eyes, Saldaña proudly declared, “I am the first American of Dominican origin to win an Academy Award, and I know I won’t be the last.”
In his freewheeling speech, Culkin dropped an f-bomb and reminded his wife, Jazz Charton, of their deal: after his Emmy win for Succession, she had promised more kids if he won an Oscar. “Let’s get cracking on those kids,” he joked. “What do you say?”
Among other major winners, I’m Still Here, a family drama set during Brazil’s military dictatorship, won Best International Feature—the country’s first-ever victory in the category.
Flow, a Latvian fantasy adventure about a cat trying to survive a flood, took Best Animated Feature, beating The Wild Robot and Inside Out 2.
The Best Documentary prize went to No Other Land, which examines the Israeli government’s displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. Despite distribution struggles, the film won big.
“We call on the world to take serious action to stop the injustice and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” said Basel Adra, one of the film’s directors and a Palestinian journalist.
Conan O’Brien hosted the Oscars for the first time, taking over from Jimmy Kimmel, who had helmed three previous ceremonies.
His opening monologue poked fun at the show’s 4:00 p.m. start time by stating “everyone here just had brunch,” and referenced Karla Sofia Gascón’s social media scandal, saying, “Karla, if you’re tweeting about the Oscars, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”
A song and dance number made light of the Academy Awards’ long runtime, followed by a surprise appearance from Adam Sandler in his signature hoodie.
The night also paid tribute to the James Bond franchise, which made headlines after Amazon MGM acquired creative control from the Broccoli family.
Introducing a performance of classic 007 theme songs like Live and Let Die and Diamonds Are Forever, Halle Berry called longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson “the heart and soul of this franchise.”
“Every generation does have their Bond, you know—the world revolves, it evolves, and so does he,” she added. “But that signature mix of danger, style, and intrigue, well, that’s timeless.”
Hollywood itself is evolving too. For the first time, an e-commerce giant, not a traditional studio, will shape the future of one of cinema’s most enduring franchises.
But it was Baker who made the night’s most heartfelt plea, urging the audience to support movie theaters.
