The 97th Academy Awards, held on March 2, 2025, celebrated outstanding achievements in filmmaking. Here’s a quick resume of the key highlights, winners and special moments.
Highlights
- Biggest Winner - Anora
- Best Picture: Anora won the top honor, dominating the ceremony with five awards.
- Best Director: Sean Baker won for Anora.
- Best Actress: Mikey Madison received the award for her performance in Anora.
- Best Film Editing
- Best Original Screenplay: Sean Baker
- Historic Wins
- Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell won for Wicked, becoming the first black man to win in this category.
- Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña took home the award for Emilia Pérez, making history as the first American of Dominican descent to win.
- Opening Musical Number: The ceremony commenced with a medley of songs from The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz, performed by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The segment combined humor and nostalgia, setting an engaging tone for the evening.
- Controversial Moments:
- The No Other Land documentary filmmakers made politically charged statements during their acceptance speech for Best Documentary Feature.
- The ceremony experienced some technical difficulties, with streaming interruptions affecting access to the final awards.
- Host - Conan O'Brien:
- O'Brien hosted the show for the first time, offering a mix of humor and charm throughout the evening.
Notable Winners
- Best Actor: Adrien Brody for The Brutalist.
- Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain.
- Best Animated Feature: Flow.
- Best International Feature: I'm Still Here.
Other Wins
- Wicked received two major awards: Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
- Best Original Song: Haven from Anora.
Special Moments
These moments contributed to the evening's entertainment, blending humor with the glamour of Hollywood's biggest night.
- Conan O'Brien's Opening Monologue: As the first-time host, Conan O'Brien set a comedic tone with a playful monologue. He humorously addressed Karla Sofía Gascón's controversial awards campaign, referencing her past tweets. O'Brien also teased Adam Sandler about his casual attire, comparing him to someone playing video poker at 2 a.m.
- Adam Sandler's Surprise Appearance: Mid-monologue, Adam Sandler appeared in a turquoise hoodie, basketball shorts, and a Hawaiian shirt. O'Brien joked about Sandler's attire, likening him to a late-night gambler. Sandler embraced the humor, defended his outfit choice, and invited the audience to a midnight basketball game before playfully hugging and kissing Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet.
- Kieran Culkin's Censored Speech: Upon winning Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain, Kieran Culkin delivered an acceptance speech that was unexpectedly censored, leading to amused reactions from the audience and viewers.
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