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

The 97th Academy Awards took place Sunday night.

ByHayley FitzPatrick, Carson Blackwelder, Angeline Jane Bernabe, and Mason Leib via GMA logo
Last Updated: March 2, 2025, 11:05 PM EST

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 02, 2025, 1:18 PM EST

Who is nominated at the Oscars?

"Emilia Pérez" leads all other movies this year with 13 nods total. Next with 10 nominations each are "The Brutalist" and "Wicked," while "A Complete Unknown" and "Conclave" scored eight each.

Adrien Brody, Timothée Chalamet, Colman Domingo, Ralph Fiennes and Sebastian Stan are nominated for best actor, while Cynthia Erivo, Karla Sofía Gascón, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres are nominated for best actress.

A look at the best actress race for the 2025 Oscars.
ABC News, Universal, Metropolitan Films, Sony Pictures, Netflix, Universal pictures

Ariana Grande, Zoe Saldaña, Isabella Rossellini, Monica Barbaro and Felicity Jones are nominated for best supporting actress, while Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong, Yura Borisov, Guy Pearce and Edward Norton are nominated for best supporting actor.

Mar 02, 2025, 1:15 PM EST

What films are nominated for best picture at the Oscars?

The best picture nominees cover a wide range of genres from papal thriller to the biopic of a cultural icon.

Zoe Saldaña as Rita Moro Castro in "Emilia Pérez."
Shanna Besson/Page 114/Why Not Productions/Pathé Films/France 2 Cinéma

The films in contention for the award are "Anora," "The Brutalist," "A Complete Unknown," "Conclave," "Dune: Part Two," "Emilia Pérez," "I'm Still Here," "Nickel Boys," "The Substance" and "Wicked."

Mar 02, 2025, 1:12 PM EST

What time does the Oscars ceremony start?

The 2025 Oscars ceremony will air live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

The Oscars logo is displayed during preparations for the 97th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 26, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Mar 02, 2025, 1:07 PM EST

Who is hosting the Oscars?

Conan O'Brien is the host for the 2025 Oscars, marking the comedian and talk show host's first time helming the show.

Academy Awards host Conan O'Brien pushes the rolled red carpet during its rollout for the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Feb. 26, 2025.
Mike Blake/Reuters

Ahead of the Oscars, O'Brien told "Good Morning America" that he was enjoying the preparation for the big show.

"I have a big happy grin, yeah," O'Brien said, adding, "I have an amazing team of writers. We have been going through tons of ideas, and I'm excited because I grew up watching the Oscars, and it is something [that's] imprinted on my memory."

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