The 2025 Academy Awards, held on Sunday, showcased a dazzling array of talent, with Anora dominating the night by winning five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Sean Baker and Best Actress for Mikey Madison.

Conan O’Brien hosted the star studded ceremony.

Adrien Brody claimed his second Best Actor award for his role in The Brutalist while Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña took home Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively, for their performances in A Real Pain and Emilia Pérez.

No Other Land, a short film about Palestinians fighting to protect their homes from demolition by Israel’s military, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

The event featured heartfelt tributes, with Morgan Freeman honouring the late Gene Hackman, who passed away just days before the ceremony, and notable figures like Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg celebrating the legacy of Quincy Jones, who died in November.

The ceremony acknowledged the bravery of firefighters who fought against the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, which had caused significant disruptions to the awards season earlier in January.

Anora, a movie that offered a poignant and intimate look at the life of a sex worker in New York City, was the standout film of the night. Meanwhile, The Brutalist tells the story of a Hungarian immigrant who escapes the atrocities of World War II to start anew in the United States. Nickel Boys presents a deeply narrative, primarily told from the perspective of its main characters.

In a notable thematic connection, two films address the issue of mass disappearances. In Emilia Perez, the lead character seeks redemption for her past as a drug cartel leader involved in forced disappearances in Mexico, a nation grappling with over 100,000 missing persons.

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The best foreign film award went to I’m Still Here, which follows a woman as she attempts to rebuild her life after her husband disappears during Brazil’s military dictatorship in the 1970s.