The 2025 Oscars Recap

By Sienna Wiitasalo Arts and Culture

This year’s Oscar lineup was diverse, with many incredible films from various genres and backgrounds. With heated online debates regarding the potential winners, the event sparked controversy among many. France’s movie musical Emilia Perez received an astonishing 13 nominations but many viewers felt the film did not deserve such recognition. Its lead actress, Karla Sofia Gascón, faced ridicule for past tweets, and the film’s score fell flat when compared to Jon M. Chu’s Wicked. Nevertheless, many viewers were pleased with this awards season, if not for the films acknowledged then for the captivating night. In case you missed it, here are the top highlights from the 97th Academy Awards:

Adrian Brody, without kissing Cillian Murphy while on stage, took home Best Actor for his role in The Brutalist. However, he proceeded to give one of the longest acceptance speeches in Oscar history. Brody was quoted saying, “Please turn the music off. I’ve done this before, it’s not my first rodeo. Thank you” as the orchestra began to play him off.  

Zoe Saldaña predictably won Best Supporting Actress after securing wins at the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice, BAFTAs, and SAG Awards this year. Meanwhile, Mikey Madison scored Best Actress for Anora. Many Wicked fans were disappointed by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s loss, especially as Erivo is just an Oscar away from achieving an EGOT. Most shockingly, Demi Moore, who was heavily predicted to win Best Actress after her achievements at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critic’s Choice, left without an award.

Anora swept the Oscars, winning five out of its six nominations. Director Sean Baker got quite the workout running to and from the stage numerous times for his acceptance speeches. Anora took home Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and, most notably, Best Picture.

Anora’s success could be partially credited to the Academy’s preferential voting system. Each Academy member ranks the nominees from favourite to least favourite. The winner must receive over 50% of the votes to win. If no film achieves this, the film with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those votes are redistributed to the next-ranked choice. This process continues until a winner is determined. For example, if Dune: Part Two was eliminated first, everyone who ranked it as their top choice would have their second choice bumped up to their first. As a result, Anora was not necessarily the number one pick for everyone but a consistent middle-ranking placement likely worked in its favour. Audience reviews suggest that while most viewers enjoyed Anora, the film lacks the cult following of Wicked or Dune: Part Two.

Overall, the 97th Academy Awards were incredibly entertaining and served as a perfect conclusion to the celebration of 2024’s films.