Oscars 2025 recap: Biggest moments from the 97th Academy Awards

The 97th Academy Awards took place Sunday night.

Last Updated: March 3, 2025, 4:05 AM GMT

The 2025 Oscars honored the best in cinema from the past year Sunday night.

The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O'Brien, ended with "Anora" taking home the coveted trophy for best picture.

"Anora" was the top film of the night, taking home five Oscars including best director for Sean Baker.

The top acting prizes went to Adrien Brody, who won best actor for "The Brutalist," and Mikey Madison, who won best actress for "Anora." Winning in the supporting categories were "Emilia Pérez" star Zoe Saldaña and "A Real Pain" star Kieran Culkin.

Heading into the ceremony, "Emilia Pérez" led the field of nominees with 13 total Oscar nominations. It ended the night with two trophies.

This year's show honored the city of Los Angeles in the wake of the wildfires that left at least 29 dead and destroyed thousands of homes earlier this year, bringing firefighters onto the Oscars stage and hosting a charitable component to raise money for fire victims.

The Oscars ceremony aired live on ABC and streamed live on Hulu for the first time.

Scroll down for a recap of the 2025 Oscars.

Key moments:

Here's how the night unfolded. All times Eastern.
Mar 03, 2025, 3:22 AM GMT

Adrien Brody wins best actor Oscar

Adrien Brody won the Oscar for best actor for his performance in "The Brutalist."

Adrien Brody is seen in a still from the film "The Brutalist."
Lol Crawley/A24

The award was presented by last year's best actor winner, "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy.

Other nominees in the best actor race included Timothée Chalamet for "A Complete Unknown," Colman Domingo for "Sing Sing," Ralph Fiennes for "Conclave" and Sebastian Stan for "The Apprentice."

Mar 03, 2025, 3:22 AM GMT

Quincy Jones honored with musical tribute from Queen Latifah

Legendary record producer and composer Quincy Jones was honored during the Oscars.

Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey opened the tribute with kind words about the late Jones, with whom they both worked in the past, before introducing Queen Latifah onstage, who performed "Ease on Down the Road" from "The Wiz."

Queen Latifah performs onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre, on March 2, 2025, in Hollywood, Calif.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

"Quincy was love, lived out loud, in human form. And he poured that love into others and into his work," Winfrey said.

Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey speak onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars March 2, 2025 in Hollywood.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Jones, who was nominated for seven Oscars during his legendary career, including three for 1985's "The Color Purple," died in November 2024 at age 91.

Jones received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 67th Academy Awards and posthumously received an honorary Oscar at the 2024 Governors Awards two weeks after his death, with his children accepting the trophy on his behalf.

Prior to the ceremony, Raj Kapoor -- executive producer and showrunner for this year's Oscars -- previewed the Jones tribute as a "beautiful moment that we hope will uplift the room, that will celebrate the spirit of Quincy and all of his greatness."

Mar 03, 2025, 3:11 AM GMT

'The Brutalist' wins best original score Oscar

Daniel Blumberg won the Oscar for best original score for "The Brutalist."

Other nominees in the category included Volker Bertelmann for "Conclave," Clément Ducol and Camille for "Emilia Pérez," John Powell and Stephen Schwartz for "Wicked," and Kris Bowers for "The Wild Robot."

Daniel Blumberg wins the Oscar for Best Original Score for "The Brutalist" during the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, March 2, 2025.
Carlos Barria/Reuters

Mar 03, 2025, 3:04 AM GMT

Brazil's 'I'm Still Here' wins Oscar for best international feature film

The Oscar for best international feature film went to "I'm Still Here" from Brazil.

Walter Salles, who directed the film, dedicated the win to Eunice Paiva, the real-life lawyer and activist portrayed by actress Fernanda Torres in the film.

Walter Salles accepts the International Feature Film award for "I’m Still Here" onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars March 2, 2025 in Hollywood.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

"This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and to resist," Salles said.

Other films nominated in the category included "The Girl with the Needle" (Denmark), "Emilia Pérez" (France), "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" (Germany) and "Flow" (Latvia).

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