The 97th Academy Awards, which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles just weeks after a series of devastating wildfires ripped through the region, shone a spotlight on the resiliency of Hollywood.
Host Conan O’Brien led a safe and occasionally solemn awards ceremony, which marked the end of one of the most wide-open Oscar races in recent memory.
Here are the top nine moments from the evening.
1. ‘Anora’ takes the most awards, winning best picture
“Anora” — Sean Baker’s screwball comedy about a stripper who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch — was the night’s big winner, taking home a total of five awards, including best picture, best actress, best original screenplay, best editing and best directing.
Baker also became the first person to win four Academy Awards on the same night for the same film.
In an acceptance speech for the best picture prize, producer Alex Coco urged independent filmmakers to continue making films.
Producer Samantha Quan, Baker’s wife, who hails from Vancouver, said, “We made this with very little money but with all of our heart,” telling filmmakers to follow their dreams.
“To all of the dreamers and the young filmmakers out there,” Quan added, “tell the stories that move you. I promise you you will never regret it.”
“Long live independent film!” Baker cried.
2. Massive best actress upset as Mikey Madison beats Demi Moore
One of the biggest Oscar upsets in years occurred as “Anora” star Mikey Madison took home the best actress trophy, beating out front-runner Demi Moore, who was widely expected to win for “The Substance.”
Moore’s momentum began after a win — and a heart-tugging speech — at the Golden Globes, plus triumphs at the Screen Actors Guild and Critics’ Choice awards. Madison, however, also nabbed several important wins, including at the Independent Spirit and BAFTA awards.
In her Oscar speech, Madison thanked the sex worker community and said she would “continue to support and be an ally to all the women from the community.”
“The women I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this entire incredible experience,” Madison said, referring to the dancers and sex workers consulted for the film.
Madison’s little gold statue makes her the first actress since 1977 to have her best actress win pair up with picture, directing and screenplay (Diane Keaton last achieved this feat for “Annie Hall”).
In an Oscar season marked by controversy, “Anora” did not escape unscathed; the filmmakers came under fire on social media for choosing not to hire an intimacy co-ordinator. Madison said she was offered one, but turned it down to help her maintain authenticity in her role.
3. Adrien Brody edges out Timothée Chalamet for best actor
Adrien Brody triumphed in the hotly contested best actor race, taking home the prize for his work in “The Brutalist.” In recent weeks, Timothée Chalamet had gained momentum for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”
Brody opened his (very lengthy) speech by giving thanks for the “tremendous outpouring of love I have felt from this world … I feel so fortunate. Acting is a very fragile profession; it looks very glamorous … but the one thing I have gained in the privilege of coming back here is to have some perspective … It can all go away. What makes this night most special is the awareness of that.”
He also thanked his partner, designer Georgina Chapman, the Marchesa founder and ex-Mrs. Harvey Weinstein. (Chapman was also the recipient of Brody’s chewing gum, which he spit out and tossed to her on his way to the stage.)
Brody won his first Oscar for “The Pianist” in 2002; he was the youngest ever winner of the award, a record he maintains to this day. (If Chalamet, had won, he would have unseated Brody.)
“The Brutalist” also won best cinematography and best score.
4. Controversial ‘Emilia Pérez’ doesn’t walk away empty-handed
The musical comedy “Emilia Pérez,” about a Mexican cartel leader who enlists the help of a cunning lawyer to transition into a woman and disappear, entered this year’s Oscars with a leading 13 nominations. At one point, it was even considered a front-runner for best picture. But the movie’s hopes of significant Oscar glory were dashed when it was revealed that its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, had posted a series of racist and offensive posts on social media.
The movie, which was created by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, soon became one of the most derided films of the year, and received significant criticism from Mexicans and members of LGBTQ communities.
Still, the film managed to avoid a total shutout on Sunday. Zoe Saldaña, who plays the lawyer Rita, fended off a late-season surge from Grande to win the Oscar for best supporting actress.
“I’m floored by this honour,” said Saldaña, who also won the BAFTA and Golden Globe this season. “Thank you to the academy for recognizing the quiet heroism and the power in a woman like Rita.”
“Emilia Pérez” won its second Oscar for best original song, which went to Clément Ducol, Camille and Audiard.
5. First-time host Conan O’Brien hits all the right notes
Conan O’Brien, hosting his first Oscars, had to walk a tightrope at Sunday’s ceremony. And he did a brilliant job, balancing heart and humour, while delivering several jabs at this year’s nominees.
The show began on a solemn note, with an “We Love L.A.” montage paying tribute to the fire-ravaged city.
O’Brien then kicked off his opening monologue by emerging out of Demi Moore’s “Substance” body (and then retrieving an errant loafer). He also poked fun at Netflix’s recent price increases, and actors Ralph Fiennes and Gascón.
Later, O’Brien paid tribute to the Los Angeles firefighters who were on the front lines of the wildfires.
He also took a saucy jab at Toronto rapper Drake. After returning from commercial break, O’Brien said, “We’re halfway through the show, which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile,” referring to the Lamar diss track “Not Like Us,” which recently took home five Grammys.
6. ‘Wicked’ stars open the show with a rousing medley
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the dazzlingly dressed stars of the blockbuster movie musical “Wicked,” opened this year’s Oscars with a stirring “Wizard of Oz”-themed medley that proved to be one of the highlights of the entire evening.
Grande, who was nominated for best supporting actress, delivered a scintillating rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which was followed up by Erivo’s soulful performance of “Home” from “The Wiz,” another “Wizard of Oz”-inspired musical.
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for: the pair, together onstage, launched into the show-stopping number “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked.”
Aside from the opening medley featuring Grande and Erivo, the musical numbers were a letdown across the board. A James Bond medley of “Live and Let Dive,” “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Skyfall,” featuring Thai rapper Lisa along with Doja Cat and Raye, was cringeworthy, while Queen Latifah’s performance of “Ease on Down the Road” from “The Wiz,” in tribute to Quincy Jones, felt simply insipid.
7. An Oscars with Canadian connections
Though there wasn’t a Canadian film nominated for this year’s Oscars per se, there were several Canadian connections. The Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve was nominated for best picture for “Dune: Part Two,” alongside his wife, producer Tanya Lapointe.
The pair were ultimately bested by another Canadian in the category, Samantha Quan, one of the producers of “Anora,” which was written and directed by her husband, the American filmmaker Sean Baker.
Meanwhile, former Stratford Festival costume designer Paul Tazewell won an Oscar for his work on “Wicked,” becoming the first Black man to receive this award.
8. A ceremony with a political edge
Sunday night’s ceremony took on a political tone, with several nominees and presenters expressing solidarity with Ukrainians and Palestinian peoples, wearing coloured pins and bracelets.
O’Brien managed to slip in a biting criticism of President Trump, who in recent weeks has been accused of capitulating to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
“‘Anora’ is having a good night,” O’Brien quipped, referencing the film about a stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch. “Americans are finally excited to see someone stand up to a powerful Russian.”
Actor Daryl Hannah, who presented the award for best film editing, opened her presentation by saying “Slava Ukraini,” the battle cry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Academy voters made the most significant political statement by awarding the Oscar for best documentary feature to “No Other Land,” which tells the story of Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes in Masafer Yatta, a collection of villages in the occupied West Bank. Despite receiving critical acclaim — the film currently has a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes — the documentary was not able to secure a North American distributor, forcing the filmmakers to release the film independently.
Palestinian director Basel Adra and Israeli director Yuval Abraham gave moving speeches about the Israel-Palestine conflict. “Can’t you see that we are intertwined?” Abraham asked. “That my people can be truly safe if Basel’s people are truly safe and free? There is no other way.”
9. A sober ‘in memoriam’
The In Memoriam segment was especially sombre this year, given the deaths of so many towering figures of the film world. Forgoing the usual pop star providing oft-cornball accompaniment, the orchestra instead played the extremely mournful “Lacrimosa” from Mozart’s “Requiem.”
Morgan Freeman kicked off the elegies by paying tribute to double Oscar winner Gene Hackman. “He won two Oscars but, more importantly, he won the hearts of people all over the world,” Freeman said. Hackman didn’t think much about leaving a legacy, he said, but, rather, he “hoped people will remember me as someone who tried to do good work.”
The In Memoriam segment also honoured other legends who died this year, including actors Maggie Smith, Gena Rowlands, James Earl Jones, Anouk Aimée, Dabney Coleman, Bob Newhart and Kris Kristofferson. Character greats like Teri Garr, Joan Plowright, Donald Sutherland and Shelley Duvall also got shout-outs, along with Louis Gossett, Jr., who was the first Black actor to win a supporting Oscar for his truly legendary turn as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in “An Officer and a Gentleman.”
