03/03/2025 - The Brutalist, Emilia Pérez, Flow, I’m Still Here and No Other Land win at the 97th Academy Awards, which were swept by Anora

Once again this year, the Oscars invited European cinema to the party. Even though the wins were not proportional to the nominations (read news) and the 97th Academy Awards were swept by Sean Baker’s Palme d’or winner Anora, European (co-)productions have much to celebrate.

The most nominated film of the edition, France’s Emilia Pérez [+see also:
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However, it’s quite likely that the Karla Sofía Gascón Twitter controversy affected Emilia Pérez’s race, given that it ended up losing the Best International Feature award to Brazil’s I’m Still Here [+see also:
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film profile], Walter Salles’ Venice-awarded Brazilian-French co-production about the story of Eunice Paiva, who Salles himself honoured on stage, as well as “the two extraordinary women who gave life to her, Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro”. With this win, Brazil celebrates its first Oscar in history.

Probably the biggest surprise of the evening was the Oscar for Best Animated Feature going to Latvia’s Flow [+see also:
film review
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interview: Gints Zilbalodis
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile], the beloved film by Gints Zilbalodis, who beat its big US animation studio competitors. Already a winner at the Golden Globes, the Latvian director reminded it was “the first time a film from Latvia has ever been nominated so it truly means a lot for us” and like in his film, he stated “we are all in the same boat, we must overcome our differences and find ways to work together”.

US-European co-production The Brutalist [+see also:
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Anora’s success left little room for its direct competitors to shine, with Edward Berger’s Conclave [+see also:
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interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] only winning the Best Adapted Screenplay statuette for Peter Straughan, and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance [+see also:
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interview: Coralie Fargeat
film profile] only grabbing the Best Makeup and Hairstyling award for Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli, and not Best Actress for Demi Moore, one of the biggest upsets of the night. Jesse Eisenberg’s US-European co-production A Real Pain [+see also:
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The Oscar for Best Documentary Feature went to Palestinian-Norwegian co-production No Other Land [+see also:
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interview: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
film profile] by Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. In one of the most compelling and welcome moments of the ceremony, the team collected the statuette, with Adra asking to “make justice and stop the cleansing of Palestinian people”, and Abraham stating “there is a political path, without ethnical supremacy” to stop this situation, and saying loud and clear that the foreign policy of the United States “is helping block this path”, but “it’s not too late, there is another way”.

One more European title is featured on the awards list, Best Live Action Short winner I’m Not a Robot – by Dutch director Victoria Warmerdam.

The full list of winners:

Best Picture
Anora – Sean Baker (USA)

Best Director
Sean Baker – Anora

Best Actress
Mikey Madison – Anora

Best Actor
Adrien Brody - The Brutalist [+see also:
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Best Supporting Actress
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez [+see also:
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Best Supporting Actor
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain [+see also:
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Best International Feature
I’m Still Here [+see also:
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film profile] – Walter Salles (Brazil/France)

Best Documentary Feature
No Other Land [+see also:
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interview: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
film profile] – Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor (Palestine/Norway)

Best Animated Feature
Flow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gints Zilbalodis
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] – Gints Zilbalodis (Latvia/France/Belgium)

Best Original Screenplay
Sean Baker – Anora

Best Adapted Screenplay
Peter Straughan – Conclave [+see also:
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interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] (UK/USA)

Best Cinematography
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist

Best Editing
Sean Baker – Anora

Best Visual Effects
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, Gerd Nefzer - Dune: Part Two (USA)

Best Production Design
Wicked – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales (USA)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, Marilyne Scarselli - The Substance [+see also:
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interview: Coralie Fargeat
film profile] (UK/USA/France)

Best Costume Design
Paul Tazewell - Wicked

Best Sound
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill - Dune: Part Two

Best Original Score
Daniel Blumberg - The Brutalist

Best Original Song
“El Mal” (Emilia Pérez); Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard

Best Live Action Short
I’m Not a Robot - Victoria Warmerdam (USA/Netherlands)

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Only Girl in the Orchestra - Molly O'Brien (USA)

Best Animated Short
In the Shadow of the Cypress - Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani (Iran)