97th Academy Awards Recap: Historic Wins and Surprising Upsets

Image credits: (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The 97th Academy Awards, held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, was a night to remember, with several historic wins and surprising upsets. The night's big winner was "Anora," a strip club Cinderella story without the fairy tale ending, which took home five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Sean Baker, the film's director, made history by winning four Oscars in a single night, tying Walt Disney's record.

One of the most notable aspects of the night was the diversity of the winners, with several first-time winners taking home awards. Latvia and Brazil were among the countries that received their first-ever wins for animated feature and international feature, respectively. Paul Tazewell won the award for costume design for "Wicked," becoming the first Black person to win the category. The night also saw a number of upsets, with some favorites losing out to underdogs. Despite being the betting favorite, Netflix's "Emilia Pérez" saw its odds crater following backlash to old, offensive tweets by its star, Karla Sofía Gascón.

The ceremony was not without its technical issues, with Hulu's livestream ending abruptly for some users right before the final minutes of the Oscars. The streaming provider apologized for the mishap and promised to make a full replay of the event available as soon as possible. The night's winners included Adrien Brody, who won Best Actor for his work in "The Brutalist," and Mikey Madison, who won Best Actress for her role in "Anora." The film's director, Sean Baker, also won the award for Best Director, and the film's editor won the award for Best Editing. Other winners included Zoe Saldana, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Emilia Pérez," and Kieran Culkin, who won Best Supporting Actor for his role in "A Real Pain."

The Governors Ball, held just upstairs from the ceremony, was the first stop of the night for many of the winners, where they got their Oscars engraved and enjoyed some decadent bites and drinks. The Vanity Fair party, hosted by editor Radhika Jones, was also a popular destination, with many of the night's winners and nominees in attendance. The party featured a number of performances, including a cover of Elton John's "Your Song" by Chappell Roan. The night's events were capped off with a special preview of "American Idol," featuring new judge Carrie Underwood.

Some of the notable attendees at the Vanity Fair party included John Mulaney and Olivia Munn, Sydney Sweeney, Sarah Paulson and Hannah Einbinder, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Tan France, Nikki Glaser, Ken Jeong and Tran Ho, Malcolm Washington, Zoey Deutch, Hasan Minhaj, Julia Garner, Keke Palmer, and Dan Levy. The party also featured a number of awards winners, including Trent and Victoria Warmerdam, who won the award for best live action short film for "I'm Not a Robot," and Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi, who won the award for best animated short for "In the Shadow of the Cypress."