Hollywood’s biggest night honored cinematic excellence with surprises, historic wins, and emotional speeches
Hollywood’s biggest night, the 97th Annual Academy Awards, delivered a mix of surprises and well-earned victories, celebrating the best in film over the past year. The ceremony showcased talent, with standout wins across multiple categories.
Major Wins and Highlights
Best Picture: Anora took home the top prize, with producers Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker celebrating the film’s success.
Best Director: Sean Baker won for Anora, further cementing the film’s impact at this year’s Oscars.
Acting Awards:
- Best Actor: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
- Best Actress: Mikey Madison (Anora)
- Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
- Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)
Animated Features:
- Best Animated Feature: Flow (Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman)
- Best Animated Short Film: In the Shadow of the Cypress (Shirin Sohani, Hossein Molayemi)
Writing Awards:
- Best Original Screenplay: Anora (Sean Baker)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Conclave (Peter Straughan)
Technical and Artistic Achievements:
- Cinematography: The Brutalist (Lol Crawley)
- Film Editing: Anora (Sean Baker)
- Production Design: Wicked (Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales)
- Costume Design: Wicked (Paul Tazewell)
- Makeup & Hairstyling: The Substance (Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, Marilyne Scarselli)
- Sound: Dune: Part Two (Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill)
- Visual Effects: Dune: Part Two (Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, Gerd Nefzer)
Music Awards:
- Best Original Score: The Brutalist (Daniel Blumberg)
- Best Original Song: El Mal (Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard)
Documentary Features:
- Best Documentary Feature: No Other Land (Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham)
- Best Documentary Short Film: The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Molly O’Brien, Lisa Remington)
The night was filled with memorable moments, powerful speeches, and a celebration of cinematic excellence.
Actor Morgan Freeman paid tribute to Gene Hackman who this week was found dead in his New Mexico home, “This week, our community lost a giant and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman. Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him. I learned he was a generous performer whose gifts elevated everyone’s work.”
