Oscar 2025: Historic Wins and Unprecedented Nominations Mark the 97th Academy Awards

The 97th Academy Awards, held on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, made history with remarkable achievements and groundbreaking nominations, celebrating the best films of 2024.

Leading this year’s nominations was the film "Emilia Pérez", which earned an unprecedented thirteen nominations, setting a record for a non-English-language film at the Oscars. This film, alongside "I'm Still Here", achieved a historic milestone by both being nominated simultaneously for Best Picture and Best International Feature. Notably, "I'm Still Here" is the first Portuguese-language film to receive a Best Picture nomination.

Sean Baker made Oscar history by winning four awards in one night for his film "Anora", including producing, directing, screenwriting, and film editing. He became only the second individual to accomplish this feat after Walt Disney in 1954, and the first to do so for a single film.

In acting categories, Adrien Brody won Best Actor for his performance in "The Brutalist," delivering the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history at five minutes and 37 seconds. The ceremony also marked important firsts in representation: Karla Sofía Gascón became the first openly transgender performer nominated for an acting Oscar, and Zoe Saldaña became the first Dominican American to win an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress.

Significant milestones were also achieved in technical categories. Designer Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win Best Costume Design, while the award for Best Animated Feature went to the independent Latvian film "Flow," the first of its kind to win in this category.

The Best Documentary Feature winner, "No Other Land," made history as the first Palestinian film to receive an Oscar.

This edition of the Oscars showcased greater diversity and international recognition than ever before, signaling evolving trends in global cinema and the Academy’s commitment to inclusiveness.