Awards won: Best Picture, Best Actress (Mikey Madison), Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing.

Awards lost: Best Supporting Actor (Yura Borisov)

By far the night’s biggest winner, “Anora” almost completed a clean sweep of every category in which it was nominated. Its only loss came from Yura Borisov’s nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to much critical acclaim, and it garnered even more acclaim from its wide American theatrical release in early October. It’s an unusual Best Picture winner, as it’s a truly independently made film (although NEON Rated picked up its distribution rights in late 2023) and a movie with a heavy focus on the sex work industry. The film’s director, Sean Baker, took a feel-good approach with his acceptance speeches, preaching ideals of independent theaters, independent cinema, and broader distribution from smaller films. Although I had mixed feelings about the film, I adore the screenplay and can’t help but be charmed by Baker’s independent film persona.

Awards won: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design.

Awards lost: Best Picture, Best Actress (Cynthia Erivo), Best Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande), Best Score, Best Make-up and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects

Although it (deservedly) lost its fair share of awards, winning two Academy Awards is nothing to scoff at, and its total of ten nominations is impressive for a fantastical family-oriented musical. Although I had many issues with the film, mainly in its visuals and writing, the film had an admirable performance at this year’s Oscars, bringing home Costume Design and Production Design (I thought it was much more deserving of a Best Supporting Actress win than these two.) The film itself was quite creatively poor, and its massive recognition was somewhat frustrating, given the movies it won over. The second part of the “Wicked” story will be released next November, and given the trend of finales earning more awards, it should do pretty well in next year’s Oscars, too.

Awards won: Best Actor (Brody), Best Supporting Actor (Culkin)

Brody’s second Best Actor win (“The Pianist” in 2002), as he reigned supreme in a tight competition with “A Complete Unkown”’s Chalamet. Culkin garnered his first Oscar win, beating out some of Hollywood’s finest (Strong, Norton, Pearce) in a tough Supporting Actor category. “A Real Pain,” Culkins’s nominated film, was blanked out of any more wins, but Culkins was enough to put a positive spin on the night for the film. Brody’s acceptance speech was a highlight of the night, headlined by powerful ideas of spreading love and the fleetingness of the acting profession. The two men had incredible, although incredibly different, performances and deserved their wins.

Awards Won: Best Make-Up and Hairstyling (“The Substance”), Best Sound (“Dune: Part Two”), Best Visual Effects (“Dune: Part Two”).

Awards Lost: Best Picture (“Dune: Part Two,” “The Substance”), Best Actress (Demi Moore), Best Costume Design (“Nosferatu”), Best Make-Up and Hairstyling (“Nosferatu”), Best Production Design (“Dune: Part Two,” “Nosferatu”), Best Cinematography (“Dune: Part Two,” “Nosferatu”), Best Visual Effects (“Alien: Romulus,” “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”)

Although there were an impressive number of nominations for the two genres this year, they were again incredibly disrespected by the Academy. Some of the best films of the year (“Dune: Part Two,” “Nosferatu,” “The Substance”) were left almost entirely blank by the Academy just because of their genres. “Dune: Part Two” was specifically disregarded, as the film is considered brilliant in the eyes of many (including myself and many prominent film critics) and didn’t win a substantial category. Denis Villeneuve was wholly snubbed for the Best Director category, and the film should’ve had some Best Picture buzz. Although the Academy showed steps forward in respecting heavy genre works when they gave “Parasite” and “Get Out” their flowers in their respective years, they still have a long way to go before the Academy accepts horror and sci-fi.

Awards won: Best Adapted Screenplay

Awards lost: Best Picture, Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Best Supporting Actress (Isabella Rossellini), Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design.

“Conclave” was one of 2024’s best films and felt like a return to the prestige political thriller filmmaking of the 80s and 90s. Despite this, it went home utterly empty-handed by the Academy, the one exception being a deserving Best Adapted Screenplay win. The film had some Best Picture momentum coming into the night after winning the Best Ensemble award at the Screen Actor’s Guild awards in late February. Edward Berger, the film’s director, is highly regarded by the Academy after winning many awards during last year’s show for his movie “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Given this and the film’s timely political nature, it seemed destined for a solid performance at the Oscars. One of my favorite films of the year; I was very disappointed to see how little it won at the Oscars.

Awards Lost: Best Picture (The Brutalist), Best Director, Best Original Screenplay

Although his film, “The Brutalist,” did relatively well in some categories, Corbet went home empty-handed. Others he worked with on the project garnered wins, but every category credible to him was lost. Disappointing is too kind a word for Corbet’s Oscars night. “The Brutalist” had massive Best Picture aspirations, as critics around the globe adored it, and it fit into the typical mold for a Best Picture-winning film. Despite this, Corbet has won none of his awards and has nothing to show for his brilliant work on “The Brutalist.”

Ultimately, the 2025 Academy Awards was a confusing, misguided, but vaguely positive show. The massive “Anora” wins were inspiring for the future of independent film, but “The Brutalist” and “‘Conclave”’s unrewarded campaigns were tough to watch. At its core, the Oscars bring recognition to films that the general public would disregard. For that, I will always have a particular appreciation for the ceremony, no matter how much I disagree with some of its decisions.