It was perhaps one of the most interesting moments of an otherwise dull Oscars 2025 telecast. Mikey Madison (Anora) beat out frontrunner Demi Moore (The Substance) to clinch the Best Actress award.
“I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me,” said Madison in her acceptance speech at the Dolby stage on Sunday, March 2.
Anora is a romantic comedy-drama film and Madison plays a sex worker from Brooklyn who marries the young son of a Russian oligarch and runs afoul of his family. The young actress also recognised and honoured the sex worker community, pledging to continue supporting them and to be an ally. The 25-year-old said, “All of the incredible women I have had the privilege of meeting from that community have been one of the highlights of this entire experience.”
Anora won big at the Oscars with five awards. Aside from Madison’s Best Actress win, director Sean Baker won four awards in Best Director, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. This made him the first ever person to win four awards in one ceremony for a single film, simultaneously tying the record for the most Oscar wins in one night with Walt Disney.
Upset win
Moore had been favoured to win following her sweep of acting awards at major award events leading up to the Oscars. She received renewed critical acclaim and recognition as an aging actress for her role in The Substance, a body horror film that critiques Hollywood for dismissing its older stars.
The veteran actress won at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, with the latter usually considered to be a good indication of the Oscar winners. The Oscars were held on Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre and hosted by Conan O’Brien. The event featured musical performances by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (Wicked), and a James Bond tribute that had Margaret Qualley performing a dance number while Doja Cat, Blackpink’s Lisa, and Raye performed iconic songs that have been a key part of the franchise.
A complete list of winners and nominees can be found below.
Oscars 2025 Winners
Best Picture
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
- Wicked
Best Director
- Sean Baker (Anora)
- Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
- James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
- Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
- Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)
Actor in a Leading Role
- Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
- Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)
- Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
- Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)
- Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)
Actress in a Leading Role
- Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)
- Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)
- Mikey Madison (Anora)
- Demi Moore (The Substance)
- Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here)
Actor in a Supporting Role
- Yura Borisov (Anora)
- Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
- Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown)
- Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)
- Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)
Actress in a Supporting Role
- Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown)
- Ariana Grande (Wicked)
- Felicity Jones (The Brutalist)
- Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)
- Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Nickel Boys
- Sing Sing
Writing (Original Screenplay)
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Real Pain
- September 5
- The Substance
Cinematography
- The Brutalist
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- Maria
- Nosferatu
Animated Feature Film
- Flow
- Inside Out 2
- Memoir Of A Snail
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- The Wild Robot
Music (Original Score)
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
Music (Original Song)
- El Mal (Emilia Pérez)
- The Journey (The Six Triple Eight)
- Like A Bird (Sing Sing)
- Mi Camino (Emilia Pérez)
- Never Too Late (Elton John: Never Too Late)
Production Design
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Nosferatu
- Wicked
Film Editing
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
Documentary Feature Film
- Black Box Diaries
- No Other Land
- Porcelain War
- Soundtrack To A Coup D’Etat
- Sugarcane
Documentary Short Film
- Death By Numbers
- I Am Ready, Warden
- Incident
- Instruments Of A Beating Heart
- The Only Girl In The Orchestra
International Feature Film
- I’m Still Here (Brazil)
- The Girl With The Needle (Denmark)
- Emilia Pérez (France)
- The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Germany)
- Flow (Latvia)
Makeup and Hairstyling
- A Different Man
- Emilia Pérez
- Nosferatu
- The Substance
- Wicked
Visual Effects
- Alien: Romulus
- Better Man
- Dune: Part Two
- Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
- Wicked
Costume Design
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Gladiator II
- Nosferatu
- Wicked
Animated Short Film
- Beautiful Men
- In The Shadow Of The Cypress
- Magic Candies
- Wander To Wonder
- Yuck!
Live-Action Short Film
- A Lien
- Anuja
- I’m Not A Robot
- The Last Ranger
- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Sound
- A Complete Unknown
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
