The Oscars 2025: The Winners are...

Article by Robbie Fleming

The 2025 Oscars were hosted by talk show host (and former Simpsons writer) Conan O’Brien. He opened the show with a hilarious parody of The Substance, followed by a sharp monologue, a comedy skit with Adam Sandler, and a musical number about wasting time. So far, Conan is proving to be a more engaging host than Jimmy Kimmel in recent years.

There was a heartfelt tribute to the firefighters who risked their lives battling the wildfires in California which destroyed so many homes. It was a powerful moment, honouring their bravery and dedication in the face of such devastating challenges.

Morgan Freeman took the stage next to give a tribute to the late Gene Hackman, which was a touching moment. This was followed by the In Memoriam sequence, and I was glad to see it focus more on the people being honoured, rather than being overshadowed by the performance in the backdrop like last year’s ceremony. It felt like a more respectful and meaningful tribute.

There was also a tribute to Quincy Jones, introduced by Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg. The tribute featured a performance of "Ease on Down the Road" from The Wiz, beautifully performed by Queen Latifah. It was a fitting tribute to an iconic figure in music and entertainment.

Let's get into the Winners:

Best Visual Effects

Alien: Romulus – Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan

Better Man – Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs

WINNER - Dune: Part Two – Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke

Wicked – Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould

My Prediction for Best Visual Effects winner: Dune: Part Two

Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot took the stage next to present the award for Best Visual Effects, and once again, Dune: Part Two took home the win. While it wasn’t a surprise, it was still a well-deserved recognition for the film’s stunning visual effects and the team behind them.

Best Film Editing

WINNER - Anora – Sean Baker

The Brutalist – David Jancso

Conclave – Nick Emerson

Emilia Pérez – Juliette Welfling

Wicked – Myron Kerstein

My Prediction for Best Film Editing winner: Sean Baker – Anora

Daryl Hannah took the stage next to present Best Film Editing, and this was the first real surprise of the night for me—Sean Baker won for Anora. While I knew it was a contender, I had expected Conclave to take it since it had been sweeping this category at other ceremonies.

This win definitely made Anora feel like a more obvious frontrunner for Best Picture.

Best Costume Design

A Complete Unknown – Arianne Phillips

Conclave – Lisy Christl

Gladiator II – Janty Yates and Dave Crossman

Nosferatu – Linda Muir

WINNER - Wicked – Paul Tazewell

My Prediction for Best Costume Design winner: Paul Tazewell – Wicked

Best Costume Design, presented in a unique way, with one star from each nominated film taking the stage. The presenters included Lily-Rose Depp (Nosferatu), Elle Fanning (A Complete Unknown), John Lithgow (Conclave), Connie Nielsen (Gladiator II), and Bowen Yang (Wicked).

The award went to Paul Tazewell for Wicked, which wasn’t a surprising win but a well-deserved one. I loved the costuming in Wicked, so I was happy with the result. That said, I still think this category should recognize the entire costuming process, not just the design aspect.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

A Different Man – Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado

Emilia Pérez – Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini

Nosferatu – David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton

WINNER - The Substance – Pierre-Oliver Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli

Wicked – Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth

My Prediction for Best Hair & Make-Up winner: The Substance – Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli

June Squibb and Scarlett Johansson took the stage next to present Best Hair & Makeup, which went to The Substance. This win wasn’t surprising but was absolutely well deserved. It’s a proud moment for the horror genre, and it makes me even more grateful that I started Fright Night Flix when I did.

Following this, the ceremony paid tribute to the James Bond franchise with a special musical performance. Lisa, Doja Cat, and Raye each performed an iconic Bond theme—Lisa sang Live & Let Die, Doja Cat took on Diamonds Are Forever, and Raye delivered Skyfall. All three put on strong performances, making for a stylish and fitting celebration of the demise of the legendary spy series since Amazon MGM Studios took over ownership from Eon Productions.

Best Production Design

The Brutalist – Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia

Conclave – Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter

Dune: Part Two – Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

Nosferatu – Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová

WINNER - Wicked – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

My Prediction for Best Production Design winner: Wicked – Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Ben Stiller took the stage to present Best Production Design, kicking things off with a fun comedy skit. Wicked took home the award, which wasn’t a surprising win but was certainly a well-deserved one.

I’m especially happy to see production designer Nathan Crowley and set decorator Lee Sandales finally get the recognition they deserve with this win!

Best Sound

A Complete Unknown – Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco

WINNER - Dune: Part Two – Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill

Emilia Pérez – Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta

Wicked – Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis

The Wild Robot – Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts

My Prediction for Best Sound winner: Dune: Part Two – Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill

Miles Teller and Miley Cyrus took the stage next to present the award for Best Sound, and as predicted, Dune: Part Two took home the win. It was a well-deserved victory for both the Dune franchise and the sound team, showcasing their incredible achievements in creating such an immersive and powerful auditory experience.

Best Documentary (Short Film)

Death by Numbers – Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard

I Am Ready, Warden – Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp

Incident – Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven

Instruments of a Beating Heart – Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari

WINNER - The Only Girl in the Orchestra – Molly O'Brien and Lisa Remington

My Prediction for Best Documentary (short film): Unsure

Best Documentary (Feature Film)

Black Box Diaries – Shiori Itō, Eric Nyari and Hanna Aqvilin

WINNER - No Other Land – Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham

Porcelain War – Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska and Paula Dupre' Pesmen

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat – Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius and Rémi Grellety

Sugarcane – Nominees To Be Determined

My Prediction for Best Documentary (feature film): Unsure

Selena Gomez and Samuel L. Jackson (AKA my most-watched actor on Letterboxd) took the stage to present the documentary awards. The Only Girl in the Orchestra won Best Documentary Short, while No Other Land took home Best Documentary Feature.

I’ll definitely check these out, but I really wish the Academy would make these films more accessible and market them better after they’re nominated. It’s always frustrating how difficult some of these are to find!

Before you continue with this article, please take a moment to read the following:

Keziah Hyde Media is a non-profit, independent media organisation. We don't display ads on our site and strive to make our media accessible to everyone. But it's only sustainable with your help. For as little as £2 per month you can help build our platform and grow our team. You also get exclusive benefits for your small contribution from bonus features to a private forum. Just click the link to get started.

www.keziahhydemedia.com/donate

Best Original Score

WINNER - The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg

Conclave – Volker Bertelmann

Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol and Camille

Wicked – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz

The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

My Prediction for Best Original Score winner: Conclave – Volker Bertelmann

Mark Hamill took the stage to present the award for Best Score, and the winner was Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist. As this was my favourite score of the year, I was absolutely thrilled with this win. It was a well-deserved recognition for an outstanding piece of music.

Best Original Song

WINNER - "El Mal" from Emilia Pérez – Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, lyrics by Clément Ducol,

Camille and Jacques Audiard

"The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight – Music and lyrics by Diane Warren

"Like A Bird" from Sing Sing – Music and lyrics by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada

"Mi Camino" from Emilia Pérez – Music and lyrics by Camille and Clément Ducol

"Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late – Music and lyrics by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin

My Prediction for Best Original Song winner: “Like A Bird” from Sing Sing

Rock and roll legend Mick Jagger took the stage to present Best Original Song, with El Mal from Emilia Perez taking the win. While this wasn’t surprising, I have to admit I was a bit annoyed that Like a Bird didn’t win.

Also, can we please just give Diane Warren her long-overdue Oscar already? At this point, it feels like a formality, and once she finally wins, maybe the Academy can start recognizing other songwriters.

Best Adapted Screenplay

A Complete Unknown – James Mangold and Jay Cocks; based on the novel Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald

WINNER - Conclave – Peter Straughan; based on the novel Conclave by Robert Harris

Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard; based on the opera libretto Emilia Pérez by Jacques

Audiard

Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes; based on the novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Sing Sing – Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley, story by Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley, Clarence Maclin, and John "Divine G" Whitfield; based on the "The Sing Sing Follies" by John H. Richardson

My Prediction for Best Adapted Screenplay winner: Conclave – Peter Straughan (based on the novel by Robert Harris)

Best Original Screenplay

WINNER - Anora – Sean Baker

The Brutalist – Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold

A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg

September 5 – Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, and Alex David

The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

My Prediction for Best Original Screenplay winner: Anora – Sean Baker

Amy Poehler took the stage to present both screenplay awards. Best Original Screenplay went to Sean Baker for Anora, while Best Adapted Screenplay was awarded to Peter Straughan for Conclave. Both wins were predictable but well deserved.

Unfortunately, this was one of the few moments where A Real Pain didn’t pull off a surprise!

Best Animated Feature

WINNER - Flow – Gints Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža

Inside Out 2 – Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen

Memoir of a Snail – Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek

The Wild Robot – Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann

My Prediction for Best Animated Film winner: Flow

Andrew Garfield and Goldie Hawn took the stage next to present the animation categories. Flow won Best Animated Feature, while Best Animated Short went to In the Shadow of the Cypress. I had been rooting for The Wild Robot, but I’m still pleased with Flow’s victory. As for the short film winner, I’ll have to track it down and see what made it stand out.

Best International Feature Film

Emilia Pérez (France) in Spanish – directed by Jacques Audiard

Flow (Latvia) with no dialogue – directed by Gints Zilbalodis

The Girl with the Needle (Denmark) in Danish – directed by Magnus von Horn

WINNER - I'm Still Here (Brazil) in Portuguese – directed by Walter Salles

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany) in Persian – directed by Mohammad Rasoulof

My Prediction for Best International Film winner: Emilia Pérez (France)

Oscar winner Penélope Cruz took the stage next to present the award for Best International Film. The winner was I’m Still Here, which surprised me by beating out Emilia Perez. That said, it’s still a great win for the film and a proud moment for Brazil’s cinema.

Best Live Action Short Film

A Lien – Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz

Anuja – Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai

WINNER - I'm Not A Robot – Victoria Warmerdam and Trent

The Last Ranger – Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent – Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek

My Prediction for Best Live Action Short Film: Unsure

Sterling K Brown and Ana de Armas came on next to present the Live Action Short Film Award, which went to I’m Not a Robot. This is one I will check out for sure as I like checking out the Live Action Short Film Winners.

Best Animated Short Film

Beautiful Men – Nicolas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande

WINNER - In the Shadow of the Cypress – Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi

Magic Candies – Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio

Wander to Wonder – Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper

Yuck! – Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet

My Prediction for Best Animated Short Film: Unsure

Best Supporting Actor

Yura Borisov – Anora

WINNER - Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain

Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce – The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

My Prediction for Best Supporting Actor winner: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain

Robert Downey Jr., last year’s Best Supporting Actor winner for Oppenheimer, returned to present the award to his successor—unsurprisingly, Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain. While expected, it was still a well-deserved win, and I’m happy for him.

Best Supporting Actress

Ariana Grande – Wicked

Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown

Felicity Jones – The Brutalist

Isabella Rossellini – Conclave

WINNER - Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

My Prediction for Best Supporting Actress winner: Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Next up, The Holdovers’ Da’Vine Joy Randolph took the stage to announce her successor for Best Supporting Actress. As expected, Zoe Saldana completed her awards season sweep with a win for Emilia Perez.

I’m glad the controversy surrounding the film didn’t affect her chances, especially since she’s stayed out of it. That said, I was secretly hoping for a surprise win from either Ariana Grande or Monica Barbaro. 

Best Actor

WINNER - Adrien Brody – The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown

Colman Domingo – Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice

My Prediction for Best Actor winner: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist

Last year’s Best Actor winner, Cillian Murphy, came on to announce his successor for the award. Was it Adrien or Timothée? Well, the race was over, and the winner was Adrien Brody, who is now a two-time winner of this award, having previously won for The Pianist in 2002. It was a fantastic win for such a talented actor. However, despite this achievement, I still don’t think it will elevate him to A-list status.

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo – Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez

WINNER - Mikey Madison – Anora

Demi Moore – The Substance

Fernanda Torres – I'm Still Here

My Prediction for Best Actress winner: Demi Moore – The Substance

Emma Stone, who won Best Actress last year for Poor Things, came on stage to announce her successor. The moment we’d all been waiting for—was it Demi’s or Mikey’s? And the winner is Mikey Madison for Anora! Congratulations to Mikey on her well-deserved win; it’s one for the books!

Best Cinematography

WINNER - Lol Crawley – The Brutalist

Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two

Paul Guilhaume – Emilia Pérez

Ed Lachman – Maria

Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu

My Prediction for Best Cinematography winner: Lol Crawley – The Brutalist

To present the award for Best Cinematography, one star from each nominated film came on stage: Joe Alwyn from The Brutalist, Alba Rohrwacher from Maria, Zoe Saldana from Emilia Perez, Dave Bautista from Dune: Part Two, and Willem Dafoe from Nosferatu. The winner was Lol Crawley for The Brutalist, which was my pick to win and a very deserving one. It’s hard to believe that the same cinematographer who worked on the British comedy Four Lions (2010) is now an Oscar-winning cinematographer! What an incredible journey.

Best Director

WINNER - Sean Baker – Anora

Brady Corbet – The Brutalist

James Mangold – A Complete Unknown

Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez

Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

My Prediction for Best Director winner: Brady Corbet – The Brutalist

Quentin Tarantino came on next to announce the winner of Best Director, which also went to Sean Baker. Well I'm happy for Baker’s win, I was hoping Brady Corbet was going to win this one as I felt like he did more with The Brutalist. However, I've been a fan of Sean Baker since i first watched The Florida Project so I'm happy his work is getting out there more.

And finally, the winner for best Picture is:

Best Picture

WINNER - Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

I'm Still Here

Nickel Boys

The Substance

Wicked

My Prediction for Best Picture winner: Anora

Finally, the moment of truth arrived. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan reunited to reveal what the Academy had chosen as Best Picture of 2024. The winner was Anora, which wasn’t a surprise, but it’s a film I’m happy to see as the winner. Congratulations to the film, as well as the talented cast and crew who brought it to life!

My Concluding Thoughts 

Even though Anora didn’t make my top 10 this year, I was happy with all of its wins. It even surprised me by taking home more awards than I expected.

Overall, I’m satisfied with the results this year, even if some of my dream wins and predictions didn’t come true. At least Emilia Perez didn’t win Best Picture—that could have been the disaster of the 2020s.

It was a solid ceremony, too. Conan was a massive improvement over Kimmel, and the vibe didn’t feel preachy, instead leaning into the magic of cinema. However, watching the ITV coverage in the UK, can we please get a different UK commentator than Jonathan Ross?

Thanks for reading. If you liked what you read and would like to read more please share this article so that others can read it too, it’s free and helps us reach more people.

If you would like to support us you can by going to www.keziahhydemedia.com/donate and for as little as £2 per month you can help build our platform and grow our team. You also get exclusive benefits for your small contribution from bonus features to a private forum. Just click the link to get started.

Keziah Hyde Media is a non-profit, independent media organisation. We don't display ads on our site and strive to make our media accessible to everyone. But it's only sustainable with your help.