‘Anora’ Wins Best Picture at 97th Academy Awards in Surprise Indie Triumph/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ At the 97th Academy Awards, Sean Baker’s “Anora”—a raw, Brooklyn-set strip club Cinderella story—won Best Picture, marking another victory for independent cinema. The low-budget, critically acclaimed film also earned Baker four Oscars, tying a record held by Walt Disney. Despite big-budget contenders like Dune: Part Two and Wicked, the Academy chose a gritty character study over box office dominance, continuing a trend of indie wins. The night also saw Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, and Zoe Saldaña take home acting awards, while “Flow,” a Latvian animated film, pulled off the night’s biggest upset. The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, balanced celebratory nostalgia with political undertones, notably avoiding direct mentions of President Trump but addressing global conflicts and social issues.
Oscars 2025: Quick Look
- Best Picture Winner: Anora—an indie drama about a stripper entangled with a Russian oligarch’s son.
- Sean Baker’s Big Night: Won four Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Editing, Screenplay), tying Walt Disney’s 1954 record.
- Indie Film Success: Anora joins recent low-budget Best Picture winners like Everything Everywhere All at Once and CODA.
- Acting Winners:
- Best Actor: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
- Best Actress: Mikey Madison (Anora)
- Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
- Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)
- Biggest Upset: Latvia’s “Flow” wins Best Animated Feature, beating DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot.
- Best International Film: I’m Still Here (Brazil), a powerful drama on resistance under dictatorship.
- Political Statements: Oscar winners acknowledged Ukraine and Gaza, while U.S. politics remained largely unspoken.
- Box Office vs. Prestige: Smaller films dominated despite Hollywood’s economic struggles and streaming concerns.
‘Anora’ Stuns at the Oscars, Cementing Independent Film’s Dominance
A Cinderella Story Without the Fairy Tale Ending
Sean Baker’s Anora—a provocative, low-budget indie film about a stripper navigating love, power, and survival—defied expectations to win Best Picture.
The $6 million film, which follows a dancer who marries a Russian oligarch’s son, proved that independent cinema still thrives, despite the dominance of franchise blockbusters.
“Where did we fall in love with movies? At the movie theater,” said Baker, championing traditional theatrical releases over streaming dominance.
With five wins, including Best Director, Baker tied Walt Disney’s record for most Oscars in a single night.
“Long live independent film!” he shouted from the Dolby Theatre stage.
Acting Awards: Veterans and First-Time Winners Shine
- Adrien Brody won Best Actor (The Brutalist), marking his second Oscar, 22 years after The Pianist.
- Mikey Madison (Anora) took Best Actress, beating Demi Moore (The Substance), who was the category favorite.
- Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) won Best Supporting Actor, his first Oscar after a season of wins.
- Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) won Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first Dominican-American to win an Oscar.
“I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last,” said Saldaña.
Biggest Upset: ‘Flow’ Takes Best Animated Feature
DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot was expected to win Best Animated Feature, but Latvia’s Flow, a silent ecological parable about a cat surviving a flood, shocked audiences by taking the prize.
“Thank you to my cats and dogs,” said director Gints Zilbalodis in his acceptance speech.
‘Wicked’ and ‘The Brutalist’ Take Two Each
- Wicked—the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee—won for Production Design and Costume Design.
- Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win for Costume Design, earning a standing ovation.
- The Brutalist took Best Cinematography and Best Score, solidifying its visual and musical achievements.
Politics Mostly Absent—But Not Completely
Though the Oscars avoided direct references to President Trump, political themes surfaced.
- Daryl Hannah simply stated: “Slava Ukraini” (“Glory to Ukraine”) while presenting an award.
- No Other Land, a documentary about Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, won Best Documentary and addressed U.S. foreign policy’s role in the conflict.
“Can’t you see that my people can’t be safe if Basel’s people aren’t free?” said Israeli director Yuval Abraham, standing beside Palestinian co-director Basel Adra.
Conan O’Brien Delivers as Host
First-time Oscar host Conan O’Brien was a massive hit, balancing Hollywood nostalgia with sharp humor.
“‘A Complete Unknown.’ ‘A Real Pain.’ ‘Nosferatu.’ These are just some of the names I was called on the red carpet,” he joked.
Box Office vs. Prestige: What This Year’s Oscars Mean for Hollywood
The 2025 Oscars highlighted a shift: Box office giants lost to smaller, intimate stories.
- Anora’s $16 million gross is one of the lowest ever for a Best Picture winner.
- Despite the success of franchise films like Dune: Part Two, the Academy continued favoring bold, artistic filmmaking.
- The ceremony followed a tough year for Hollywood, with movie theater struggles and streaming shakeups.
“Hollywood is at a crossroads,” said Paul Schrader, the legendary screenwriter. “The industry must decide whether it values art or algorithms.”
Final Thoughts
The 97th Academy Awards cemented indie filmmaking as the industry’s heart. While big-budget spectacles continue to dominate at the box office, Oscar voters clearly favor bold, character-driven storytelling.
Will Hollywood’s studios take note—or will the gap between blockbuster success and critical acclaim continue to widen?
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