Oscar Winners: ‘Anora’ Wins Best Picture While Adrien Brody And Mikey Madison Take Home Top Acting Honors
by Siladitya Ray · ForbesTopline
“Anora” dominated the Oscar awards ceremony on Sunday night by winning five prizes including “Best Picture” as its lead “Mikey Madison” won the best actress prize while Adrien Brody took home the best acting honor for his role in “The Brutalist.”
Key Facts
Madison, who played a stripper in “Anora,” thanked the sex worker community in a her acceptance speech after winning the best actress award and said: “All of the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this incredible experience.”
Brody won the best actor prize for his work in the period drama “The Brutalist,” continuing a sweep of major awards this season—including the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and the British Academy Film Awards.
The best director prize was won by Sean Baker for “Anora” and his impassioned acceptance speech urged filmmakers to “keep making films for the big screen,” noting that movie theaters “are struggling, and it’s up to us to support them.”
In his acceptance speech, Brody said: “I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression and of antisemitism and racism and othering…And I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”
Zoe Saldana won “Best Supporting Actress” for her work on “Emilia Pérez” and she delivered an emotional acceptance speech where she pointed out she was “a proud child of immigrant parents” and noted she was the “first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award.”
Keiran Culkin won the “Best Supporting Actor” prize for his role on “A Real Pain” and in his acceptance speech pointed out that his wife Jazz Charton promised to give him four children if he won an Oscar.
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Who Were The Big Oscar Winners?
Best Picture - Anora
Actress in a Leading Role - Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Best Director - Sean Baker, “Anora”
Actor in a Leading Role - Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Actor in a Supporting Role - Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Actress in a Supporting Role - Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”
Adapted Screenplay - Peter Straughan for “Conclave”
Original Screenplay - Sean Baker for “Anora”
Costume Design - Paul Tazewell for “Wicked”
Original Score - Daniel Blumberg for “The Brutalist”
Animated Feature Film - Flow
Animated Short Film - In the Shadow of the Cypress
International Feature Film - “I’m Still Here,” Brazil
Cinematography - Lol Crawley for “The Brutalist”
Original Song - “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
Live Action Short Film - I’m Not a Robot
Visual Effects - Dune: Part Two
Sound - Dune: Part Two
Crucial Quote
In acceptance speech, “Anora” director Sean Baker talked about preserving the theater going experience and said: “Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, scream in fright together, perhaps sit in devastated silence together. In a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever...And right now, the theatergoing experience is under threat. Movie theaters, especially independently owned theaters, are struggling, and it’s up to us to support them. During the pandemic, we lost nearly 1000 screens in the U.S., and we continue to lose them regularly. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture. This is my battle cry. Filmmakers keep making films for the big screen. I know I will.”
Big Number
$6 million. That is the total budget of “Anora,” the film’s director Baker pointed out in his acceptance speech after winning the best film prize. The movie has made around $41 million in the box office so far according to Box Office Mojo. “We made this movie independently. If you’re trying to make independent films, keep doing it. We need more. This is proof,” Baker said.
Further Reading
Oscars 2025 Winners: ‘Anora’ Leads With 5 Wins Followed by ‘The Brutalist’ With 3 (Variety)