The 97th Academy Awards were broadcasted live from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on March 3. It marked the culmination of what’s been an off-center year for cinema, riddled by the effects of 2023’s SAG-AFTRA strikes. Anora—the season’s unlikely frontrunner—came out on top of it all, winning Best Picture among many others in its sweep. The film’s director, Sean Baker, took home a whopping four Oscars, tying a record held by Walt Disney. Its star, 25-year-old Mikey Madison, won Best Actress, upsetting the betting favorite Demi Moore.

Just over 20 years since he became the youngest actor to ever to win an Academy Award for his role in Pianist, Adrien Brody won his second Best Actor award for his work in The Brutalist. Zoey Saldana and Kieran Culkin were also awarded for their supporting roles in Emilia Perez and A Real Pain respectively.

Since the academy expanded its membership internationally, its taste has become much more eclectic; Anora would not have performed as it did 10 or 20 years ago, nor would 2022’s Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once, or 2019’s Parasite. 

While the Academy’s tastes have changed, the show itself hasn’t. Hollywood’s biggest night remains a tedious watch, bloated with unnecessary music numbers and montages. Albeit, Conan O’Brien made for a nice change of pace as host, garnering widespread appreciation for his role in the show.

2026’s Oscar race now kicks off. For the full list of this year’s winners, see the following: https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025?