Each year, the Academy Awards showcase the best of cinema, recognizing the craft and effort that goes into each and every film. Many directors, actors, actresses and films were nominated for various awards among different categories. This year, blockbuster films such as “A Complete Unknown”, “Wicked”, “The Brutalist”, “Anora” and many more were nominated for awards. Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the 97th Academy Awards was a night full of great wins, stunning red-carpet fashion and an overall celebration for cinema, making this one of Hollywood’s biggest nights. In case you missed it, here’s your recap of all the big events that happened that night.

The Big Winners:

Best Picture: Anora
Taking home the most coveted award at The Oscars, Anora won Best Picture. Its storytelling and its theme had a unique approach on hard topics like family struggles, adult industry workers and social status differences, and touched on sensitive or “taboo” subjects in an impactful way. The movie’s themes, acting and narratives led it to be awarded Best Picture. Anora also won four other awards that night for Director, Editor, Best Actress and Original Screenplay.

Best Director: Sean Baker (Anora)
Also winning the award of Best Editor and Best Original Screenplay, Sean Baker won the Oscar for Best Director. His work on “Anora” earned him four Oscars on one night, before only achieved by Walt Disney in 1953. He wrote, edited and directed Anora, now his most successful film.

Best Actor: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
Adrien Brody’s performance in The Brutalist won him the Oscar for Best Actor. He played Lázló Tóth, a Hungarian architect who escaped the Holocaust and immigrated to the United States to live a better life. This was his second Oscar win, his first being also Best Actor in 2002 for his role in “The Pianist”, where he was the youngest winner of Best Actor. The other nominees for this award were Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”) and Sebastian Stan (“The Apprentice”).

Best Actress: Mikey Madison (Anora)
At just age 25, Mikey Madison is one of the youngest winners of Best Actress in the whole Academy Awards. She played the role of Ani in “Anora”, who was an adult industry worker who marries a Russian client. Her acting was critically acclaimed and explored themes of class, exploitation and love. The other nominees for this award were Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here”), Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”) Karla Sofía Gascón (“Emilia Pérez”) and Demi Moore (“The Substance”).

Best Original Screenplay: Anora
Sean Baker took home the Best Original Screenplay award for Anora for its new unique perspective and emotional, powerful script. Following a story about love and family struggles that follow, in powerful detail, Anora was awarded its Oscar.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Conclave
Peter Straughan won the Oscar for the Adapted Screenplay of Conclave, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, following the process of selecting a new pope and the secrets that follow. The screenplay captures the emotions and tense moments of this film perfectly, landing it an Oscar award.

The other nominees and winners for the rest of the categories can be found on their website.

But, the show didn’t just start with the awards. The red carpet was another highlight of the night, where Hollywood showed up and showed out in stunning fashion.
Timothée Chalamet, a nominee for Best Actor in his performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” arrived in a vibrant pastel yellow Givenchy suit designed by Sarah Burton, catching many people by surprise with its pop of color.
“I love that suit. You will not get hit on your bike tonight,” host Conan O’Brien said during his monologue, joking about Chalamet’s outfit.

Cynthia Erivo, a nominee for Best Actress for her role as Elphaba in “Wicked”, showed up in a stunning green velvet Louis Vuitton dress with large off-the-shoulder sleeves. Her co-star Ariana Grande, a nominee for Best Supporting Actress in “Wicked” wore a 2025 spring-summer collection Schiaparelli haute couture gown in a baby pink that matched her character Glinda. Designed by Daniel Roseberry, with a wave-like structured skirt and satin duchesse bodice, the dress showed over 190,000 rhinestone crystals, giving the tulle a glittery look. The red carpet was filled with memorable looks at one of celebrity fashion’s biggest nights, where film and fashion coincided.

The past year saw the unfortunate loss of a few iconic figures in the film industry, so the Academy Awards took a moment to recognize the passing of famous stars. Maggie Smith, a distinguished British actress, played roles in many famous works, such as the Harry Potter films. Shelley Duvall was remembered for her eccentric characters and famous films, known for acting in “The Shining” and “Popeye”. Donald Sutherland left a true legacy with his six-decade long career, acting in countless numbers of movies such as “The Hunger Games” films and “M*A*S*H”. Other beloved actors such as James Earl Jones and Bob Newhart were also honored. All of these legends may have passed, but their legacy and impact on the film industry will last forever.