Anora picks up 5 top honours including Best Picture

97th Academy Awards marks a big day for independent cinema and diversity

March 03, 2025

Anora came out on top at the 97th Academy Awards held at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater on Sunday. Although Emilia Pérez leading the nominations with 13 nods, followed Wicked and The Brutalist with 10 each, Sean Baker's Palme d’Or-winning poignant romantic comedy-drama took home the top five awards—the best picture, best editing, best director, best original screenplay, and best actress for Mikey Madison. This makes Baker the first person to win four Oscars for the same film. The only person to win four Oscars in one night was Walt Disney, but he had won for different movies.

Adrien Brody picked up the Best Actor trophy for The Brutalist making him an actor having a 100 per cent win rate. The actor had won the only other time he was nominated in the category and that was for his performance in The Pianist. Kieran Culkin won the Oscar for best supporting actor for A Real Pain. Zoe Saldaña took home the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Emilia Pérez making her the “first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award.”

It was a big day for diversity. History was made when Flow won the award for best animated feature for it is not only the first Latvian film to win Best Animated Feature but also the first independent film to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. I’m Still Here, which also had a Best Picture nomination, was named best international feature film marking Brazil’s first Oscar win while Palestinian-Israeli documentary No Other Land was named best documentary feature.

The ceremony was hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien and the show paid tribute to the heroes and victims of the recent Los Angeles wildfires.