Anora has dominated the Academy Awards, winning five gongs including best picture.The film’s star, Mikey Madison, who plays a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, took home the best actress award – a win that was not a total upset, but many had expected Demi Moore to scoop the prize for her performance in The Substance.Anora filmmaker Sean Baker was named best director, and used his acceptance speech to make a plea for audiences to support cinemas, which he said were “a vital part of our culture” and at risk of being lost.Both also thanked sex workers who consulted on the film, saying they could never have made it without them.Read more on the Oscars:Oscars live: All the latest reaction to the awardsOscars red carpet 2025: All the best looksFull list of all the Oscar winning films and starsPlease use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player0:43
Stars attend Vanity Fair Oscars bash
Anora also won the Oscarsfor best original screenplay and best editing. Winning all four awards he was up for, Baker tied with Walt Disney’s record for the most Oscar wins by a single person in a single night – although Disney won his awards for multiple works, rather than a single film as Baker has done.Adrien Brody won the best actor Oscar for playing Hungarian architect Lazlo Toth in architectural epic The Brutalist.It was his second Academy Award win in the category some 22 years after his first, for The Pianist back in 2003.
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Adrien Brody won the best actor award – his second Oscar – for his performance in The Brutalist. Pic: Reuters
Accepting his award in a lengthy speech, he paid tribute to his partner Georgina Chapman, who he said had “re-invigorated” his “self-worth” and “sense of value”.Best cinematography also went to The Brutalist director Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour epic, which also took home the prize for best original score.Papal thriller Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, took just one award, for best adapted screenplay.
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Kieran Culkin won best supporting actor. Pic: Reuters
Kieran Culkin took the first award of the night, best supporting actor, for his role in comedy drama A Real Pain, while the best supporting actress prize was won by Emilia Perez star Zoe Saldana, her first Oscar win and nomination.One of the highest-grossing actresses ever, she cried out “Mommy, mommy”, on stage, explaining her entire family was there with her. She became tearful at the end of her speech as she spoke of being “a proud child of immigrant parents”.
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Zoe Saldana was named best actress. Pic: Reuters
Announced by Mick Jagger, best song went to Emilia Perez’s El Mal (which translates as “Evil”), while the prize for costume design went to Wicked’s Paul Tazewell – who became the first black man to receive the award. The Wizard Of Oz prequel also won best production design.Brazilian dire
