Oscars 2025: “Anora” triumphs, but ceremony forgets Alain Delon

Sean Baker’s film wins 5 statuettes. Tribute to Gene Hackman, controversy over Karla Sofia Gascon

The 97th Academy Awards saw the triumph of Sean Baker’s Anora, which took home five statuettes out of six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Mikey Madison. During his acceptance speech, Baker extolled independent cinema and made a plea to filmmakers, distributors, and parents, “Take the kids to the movies, they will be the next generation of moviegoers.”

Performers’ awards: Adrien Brody and Zoe Saldana among the winners

Adrien Brody won Best Supporting Actor for The Brutalist, while Zoe Saldana, Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Perez, made history by becoming the first American actress of Dominican descent to win an Oscar. Kieran Culkin also won Best Supporting Actor for Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain.

A missed Oscar for Italy and the controversy over Gascon

Isabella Rossellini, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Conclave, did not win, but the film won the statuette for Best Non-Original Screenplay. Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez, despite 13 nominations, took home only two awards, partly because of the controversy surrounding Karla Sofia Gascon, whose old racist tweets negatively affected her image.

Other winners and highlights

Among the evening’s other award winners, Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here won Best International Film, while Flow triumphed as Best Animated Film. Another historic moment was marked by Paul Tazewell, the first black man to win an Oscar for Best Costume Design with Wicked.

Gene Hackman remembered, Alain Delon forgotten.

Morgan Freeman paid tribute to Gene Hackman, remembering him as “a legend and a friend,” but the ceremony drew criticism for omitting Alain Delon’s name in the In Memoriam segment. The iconic French actor passed away last August, and the absence of his name in the commemoration did not go unnoticed.

Current events and Oscars: speeches on Gaza and California wildfires.

During the ceremony, a brief moment was dedicated to the Los Angeles firefighters, who received a standing ovation for their work in the recent fires. The award for Best Documentary Film went to No Other Land, which focused on the war in the Middle East. During the speech, Palestinian activist Basel Adra called for an end to violence in Gaza, while Yuval Abraham criticized U.S. foreign policy.

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