The Oscars 2025 took an entirely different turn, filled with suspense, controversy, and analysis.
Coming topmost in all wins was “Anora,” bagging five categories it nominated: best picture, director, actress, editing, and original screenplay.
These wins have made Sean Baker the writer-director-editor to tie Walt Disney’s record for the number of Oscars taken home in one night.
However, one film, Emilia Pérez, a Spanish-language French musical crime comedy film written and directed by Jacques Audiard, stood out after bagging 13 nominations and winning in two categories: one for Zoe Saldaña as the best supporting actress and another for the original song, marking a significant achievement in the film industry.
It is based on Audiard’s opera libretto of the same name, which he loosely adapted from a chapter of the 2018 novel Écoute by French writer Boris Razon.
The film follows a unique storyline, where a notorious Mexican cartel leader is offered an unusual job to help a notorious cartel boss retire and transition into living as a woman, fulfilling a long-held desire.
Criticisms
Released on 14 August, 2024 in France, ‘Emilia Pérez’ garnered both praise and criticism. While it earned accolades, it also faced backlash for its portrayal of Mexican culture and cartel violence, as well as its representation of the transgender community.
Zoe Saldaña, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, also apologised to Mexicans offended by the controversial musical Emilia Pérez.
The film, about a cartel boss seeking to transition to a woman, has come under fire in the last few months after complaints that it was an inauthentic and stereotyped portrayal from a crew made up mostly of Europeans such as the French writer-director Jacques Audiard.
The film’s lead, Karla Sofia Gascón, also came under fire over her history of inflammatory tweets.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
Best supporting actor
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Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain – WINNER
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Best animated feature
Flow – WINNER
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
Best animated short
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress – WINNER
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!
Best costume design
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Wicked – WINNER, Paul Tazewell
Best original screenplay
Anora – WINNER
The Brutalist
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance
Best adapted screenplay
A Complete Unknown
Conclave – WINNER
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
Best makeup and hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance – WINNER
Wicked
Best Editing
Anora – WINNER, Sean Baker
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
Best supporting actress
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez – WINNER
Best production design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked – WINNER
Best original song
El Mal, Emilia Pérez – WINNER
The Journey, The Six Triple Eight
Like a Bird, Sing Sing
Mi Camino, Emilia Pérez
Never Too Late, Elton John: Never Too Late
Best documentary short
Death By Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra – WINNER
Best documentary feature
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land – WINNER
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
Best sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two – WINNER
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Best visual effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two – WINNER
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked
Best live-action short
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not a Robot – WINNER
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Best Cinematography
The Brutalist – WINNER
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu
Best international feature
I’m Still Here – WINNER (Brazil)
The Girl With the Needle
Emilia Pérez
The Seed of a Sacred Fig
Flow
Best original score
Oscar for The Brutalist
The Brutalist – WINNER, Daniel Blumberg
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Best actor
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist – WINNER
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Best director
Sean Baker, Anora – WINNER
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
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Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora – WINNER
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Best picture
Anora – WINNER
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
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