As the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony, the Oscars are considered the most prestigious awards in the film industry. The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the United States, recognizing excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy’s voting membership.
In fact, “EMILIA PEREZ” garnered 13 Oscar nominations and many awards, including two Oscar wins, surpassing any other non-English language film. Due to its musical and crime drama composition, bold exploration of complex themes, and transgender representation, the movie sparked a buzz in the film industry. Cinephiles express their confusion about why the movie was highly successful, gaining so many nominations and making it amongst other movies such as “Titanic” and “La La Land.” Along with “EMILIA PEREZ”, “Anora” by Sean Baker dominated the 97th Oscars. Its distinct visual effects, spectacle, lovable characters, movie directing, and rare representation of modern sex workers earned it five Oscar wins!
Despite the recent conflict between Palestine and Israel, and Gaza’s suffering through the ongoing 523-day war with Israel, the eye-opening film “No Other Land” by Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham, won an Oscar for Documentary Feature Film. This film, made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers. It highlights the unlikely alliance between Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval. Ironically, despite its critical acclaim, the Palestinian-directed film has struggled to find a distributor or major U.S. streamer, making its showings very limited and rare.
As specified by BBC news, on March 24, 2025, the Palestinian Co-Director, Hamdan Ballal, was devastatingly beaten and lynched by armed Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Ballal was later abducted from his ambulance by the Israeli military. Just three weeks ago, he stood on stage at the Oscars in Los Angeles, being awarded for his bravery in uncovering the truth about the West Bank. Now, Ballal has been freed and safely returned to his family with severe injuries and nowhere safe to hide, even an ambulance can be a target in the West Bank.
Another shocking loss or as Gen Z calls it, an “Oscar snub”, is Timothee Chalamet’s loss in the Actor in a Leading Role category. There was much online speculation that Chalamet would become the youngest person to receive the Oscar, one which he seemed destined for. Frankly, the actor declared he was ‘in pursuit of greatness’ while accepting the Best Actor SAG award for portraying Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown”. Despite winning multiple awards for his movie “Dune: Part Two”, it was a surprise when he lost to Adrien Brody for his performance in “The Brutalist”. Chalamet is widely recognized as one of the best actors born after the ’90s. His roles in “Wonka”, “Call Me by Your Name”, “Dune: Part One and Two”, “Little Women”, “Beautiful Boy”, “Interstellar”, and most recently, “A Complete Unknown” have earned him a special place in the hearts of movie enthusiasts. His cool, unhinged demeanor both online and in public has made him easy to love and relate to, not only by celebrities but also by the general public.
The following are the rest of the 97th Oscar wins:
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody in ¨The Brutalist¨
Best Picture
¨Anora¨
Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, Producers
Actor in a Supporting Role
Kieran Culkin in ¨A Real Pain¨
Actress in a Leading Role
Mikey Madison in ¨Anora¨
Actress in a Supporting Roe
Zoe Saldaña in “Emilia Pérez”
Animated Feature Film
“Flow”
Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman
Animated Short Film
“In The Shadow Of The Cypress”
Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
Cinematography
“The Brutalist”
Lol Crawley
Costume Design
“Wicked”
Paul Tazewell
Directing
“Anora”
Sean Baker
Documentary Feature Film
“No Other Land”
Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
Film Editing
“Anora”
Sean Baker
International Feature Film
“I’m Still Here”
Brazil
Makeup and Hairstyling
“The Substance”
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
Music (Original Score)
“The Brutalist”
Daniel Blumberg
Music (Original Song)
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
Production Design
“Wicked”
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Sound
“DUNE: PART TWO”
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill
Visual Effects
“DUNE: PART TWO”
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer
