On Sunday, March 2nd, 2025, the Academy held the 97th annual Oscar awards for innovation in filmmaking at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California. This year’s ceremony was hosted by former late-night television show host Conan O’Brien. The features with the most nominations this year were A Complete Unknown with eight, Wicked and The Brutalist both with ten, and Emilia Pérez with thirteen.
Before we get into the movies, actors, producers and other talented filmmakers who took home trophies, let’s take a look at the red carpet! All the dresses, suits, and outfits worn were stylistic and artistic, as they are every year. In a vote between seven actors and actresses for “Best Dressed”, my teachers and fellow students voted for Demi Moore’s stunning silver, sparkling dress. She unquestionably earned the attention and admiration from many viewers.
Now for the most exciting part of the night, the awards! For “Best Supporting Actress and Actor”, the winners were Zoe Saldana and Kieran Culkin for their work in Emilia Pérez and A Real Pain. Mikey Madison was honored for her work in Anora with “Best Actress”, and “Best Actor” was won by Adrien Brody in The Brutalist. The film Wicked, if you recall, won only a single award at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes for “Cinemating and Box Office Achievement”. A similar pattern was displayed at the Oscars, for the movie won “Best Production Design” and “Best Costume Design”. While these awards are certainly wonderful achievements, many people both on social media and in my community felt they weren’t adequate for the effort put in. Similar thoughts were noticed for A Complete Unknown, a Bob Dylan tribute film. I decided to ask my peers their opinions on the nominations and awards.
I first asked whether people agreed with the controversy, and most people did. “[Timothee Chalamet’s] dedication for the movie showed how deserving he was of that award, he was truly robbed” said my classmate Arianna Cisneros. Furthermore, Katherine McLean said “‘Defying Gravity’ was a perfect way to start the Oscars. However, it was unfortunate that Cynthia Erivo didn’t win one, she deserves the EGOT.”
Arguably the most important award of the night was “Best Picture”. The nominees for this category were Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here, The Substance, Dune: Part Two, Wicked, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Nickel Boys, and the winner: Anora. Once again, there was disagreement over the nominees this year. Brynn Till says, “I did not watch [Anora], but I still think Wicked was top tier, above all the rest”.
While Emilia Pérez similarly did not win“Best Picture”, the movie did win several other awards. Asking members in my community their thoughts on this, I got similar responses. “I don’t think it deserved to win,”said Eric Leiman.
“Emilia Pérez had a lot of talent. Overall, it was not a bad movie. However, it won way more awards than it should’ve” said another student. Sophia Patula asked, “It’s like a Netflix movie, why is it winning all the awards?” Whether you agree or disagree, it certainly is an interesting topic!
Controversy over who won or should have won the awards is almost guaranteed when it comes to the Oscars, but every few years, more dramatic events occur at the ceremony. I held a poll for my classmates, teachers, and other members of the community regarding the 2022 incident involving Chris Rock and Will Smith, where Chris Rock made jokes at the expense of Jada Smith, prompting Will Smith to strike the comedian. I inquired who the public thought was in the right, and 47.4% of the votes were for Will Smith, and 52.6% for Chris Rock, meaning the winner was Chris Rock! It’s definitely a thought-provoking debate.
As another ceremony passes, we are reminded of the profound cultural influence the Academy Awards and similar events have on the media and film landscape. Furthermore, these award shows exhibit the power of storytelling and its effect on society. It’s obvious that the Oscars will continue to shape our world for years to come.
