Oscars 2025 recap: Highlights and biggest moments from 97th Academy Awards

ByKimberlee Sakamoto, Hayley FitzPatrick, Carson Blackwelder, Angeline Jane Bernabe, and Mason Leib OTRC logo
Last updated: Monday, March 3, 2025 5:20AM GMT
2025 Oscars
Joelle Garguilo has a recap of the Oscars live from Hollywood.

LOS ANGELES -- The 2025 Oscars honored the best in cinema from the past year Sunday night.

The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O'Brien, ended with "Anora" taking home the coveted trophy for best picture.

"Anora" was the top film of the night, taking home five Oscars including best director for Sean Baker.

The top acting prizes went to Adrien Brody, who won best actor for "The Brutalist," and Mikey Madison, who won best actress for "Anora." Winning in the supporting categories were "Emilia Pérez" star Zoe Saldaña and "A Real Pain" star Kieran Culkin.

Heading into the ceremony, "Emilia Pérez" led the field of nominees with 13 total Oscar nominations. It ended the night with two trophies.

This year's show honored the city of Los Angeles in the wake of the wildfires that left at least 29 dead and destroyed thousands of homes earlier this year, bringing firefighters onto the Oscars stage and hosting a charitable component to raise money for fire victims.

The Oscars ceremony aired live on ABC and streamed live on Hulu for the first time.

Scroll down for a recap of the Oscars and check out all coverage of the 97th Academy Awards here.


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Mar 03, 2025, 12:32 AM

Full list of winners from the 97th Academy Awards

Go here for a look at the full winners list.

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Mar 03, 2025, 4:35 AM

PHOTOS: 2025 Oscars parties highlights

Take a look at the photo gallery below for the glitz and glamour of the Oscars viewing and after parties with exclusive photos capturing Hollywood's elite celebrating the night in style.

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Cynthia Erivo attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Vanity Fair
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1:49 AM GMT

Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye perform musical tribute to James Bond films

Another highlight of the Oscars was the James Bond musical tribute, which honored the iconic film franchise's longtime producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

The segment kicked off with Margaret Qualley dancing to the "James Bond Theme" music with a gaggle of male dancers.

A trio of performers then delivered their renditions of various theme songs from throughout the Bond film series, including Lisa from Blackpink singing "Live and Let Die" from the 1973 film of the same name, Doja Cat singing "Diamonds Are Forever" from the 1971 film of the same name, and Raye singing "Skyfall" from the 2012 film of the same name.

Broccoli and Wilson received honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards in November. Broccoli's father, Albert R. Broccoli, together with producer Harry Saltzman, brought the James Bond stories to life on film after they purchased the rights to Ian Fleming's iconic novels in 1961.

On Feb. 20, it was announced that Amazon MGM Studios had taken over creative control of the James Bond franchise from Broccoli and Wilson.

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1:40 AM GMT

'Anora' wins Oscar for Best Editing

Sean Baker has won the Oscar for Best Editing for "Anora" at the 2025 Academy Awards.

"Anora" wins the Oscar for Best Editing at the 2025 Academy Awards.

"I consider editing to be half of my directing and a third of my screenwriting, so this means everything," Baker said. "It's a real validation for me," he said in his acceptance speech.

He went on to joke, "God if you saw that footage - I saved this film in the edit. Trust me! That director should never work again."

Baker is nominated for Best Director for "Anora."

Go here for a look at the full list of winners from the 97th Oscars.

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1:24 AM GMT

'The Substance' wins Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli have won the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for their work in "The Substance" at the 2025 Academy Awards.

"The Substance" wins the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 2025 Academy Awards.

This was the first nomination and win for the trio.

Other films nominated in the category included "A Different Man," "Emilia Pérez," "Nosferatu" and "Wicked."

Go here for a look at the full list of winners from the 97th Oscars.

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1:48 AM GMT

'Anora's' Sean Baker thanks sex worker community in speech

During his acceptance speech for best original screenplay for "Anora," Sean Baker thanked the sex worker community.

"They have shared their stories, they have shared their life experiences with me over the years. My deepest respect, thank you. I share this with you," he said.

'Anora' wins Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the 2025 Academy Awards.

In the film, Anora, a young woman from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.

In addition to this Oscar win, "Anora" also won several awards leading up to Hollywood's biggest night, including the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Best Picture at the Critics' Choice Awards, and Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards.