LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� "Anora,鈥� a strip club Cinderella story without the fairy tale ending, was on Sunday, handing Sean Baker鈥檚 gritty, Brooklyn-set screwball farce Hollywood鈥檚 top prize.
In a stubbornly fluctuating Oscar season, 鈥淎nora,鈥� the Palme d鈥橭r-winner at the Cannes Film Festival, emerged as the unlikely frontrunner. Baker鈥檚 tale of an erotic dancer who elopes with the son of a Russian oligarch 鈥� unusually explicit for a best-picture winner 鈥� was made for just $6 million but went home with five big awards,
But Oscar voters, eschewing blockbuster contenders like 鈥淲icked鈥� and 鈥淒une: Part Two,鈥� instead added 鈥淎nora鈥� 鈥� which has one of the lowest box-office totals ever for a best picture winner with $16 million in ticket sales 鈥� to a string of recent indie best picture winners, including 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once,鈥� 鈥淐ODA鈥� and 鈥淣omadland.鈥� 鈥�
For a film industry that鈥檚 been transformed by streaming and humbled by economic turmoil, Baker and 鈥淎nora鈥� epitomized a kind of cinematic purity. On the campaign trail, Baker called for the return to the 90-day exclusive theatrical release.
鈥淲here did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater,鈥� Baker said Sunday, accepting the award for best director. 鈥淔ilmmakers, keep making films for the big screen.鈥�
In personally winning four Oscars (picture, directing, editing, screenplay), Baker tied the mark held by Walt Disney, who won for four different films in 1954. That Baker and Disney share the record is ironic; his 鈥淭he Florida Project鈥� took place in a low-budget motel in the shadow of Disney World.
鈥淟ong live independent film!鈥� shouted Baker from the Dolby Theatre stage.
Other awards spread around
Eight of the 10 movies nominated for best picture came away with at least one award in a ceremony buoyantly hosted by Conan O'Brien that favored song and dance over strong political statements. Acting awards went to and
Twenty-two years after winning best actor for 鈥淭he Pianist,鈥� Brody won the same Oscar again for his performance as another Holocaust survivor in Brady Corbet鈥檚 鈥淭he Brutalist. His win came over Timoth茅e Chalamet (鈥淎 Complete Unknown鈥�), who had the chance of becoming the youngest best actor ever, a record owned by Brody.
鈥淚鈥檓 here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression and of antisemitism and racism and othering,鈥� said Brody. 鈥淚 pray for a healthier and happier and more inclusive world. If the past can teach us anything it鈥檚 to not let hate go unchecked.鈥�
Madison won best actress for her breakthrough performance in 鈥淎nora,鈥� a victory that came over the category favorite, Demi Moore (鈥淭he Substance鈥�). Both she and Baker spoke, as they did at the Cannes Film Festival where 鈥淎nora鈥� won the Palme d'Or, about honoring the lives of sex workers.
Netflix's beleaguered contender, 鈥淓milia P茅rez," the lead nominee going into the show, went home with two awards 鈥� best song and best supporting actress, for 鈥� after a scandal caused by offensive tweets by star Karla Sof铆a Gasc贸n torpedoed its chances.
鈥淚 am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands,鈥� said 厂补濒诲补帽补. 鈥淚 am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last.鈥�
An expected win and an upset
The night鈥檚 first award went to Culkin has cruised through the season, picking up award after award, for his performance alongside Jesse Eisenberg in 鈥淎 Real Pain.鈥�
鈥淚 have no idea how I got here,鈥� said Culkin, 鈥淚鈥檝e just been acting my whole life.鈥�
The biggest upset early on came in the best animated feature category. 鈥淔low,鈥� the upset DreamWorks Animations' 鈥淭he Wild Robot." The win for 鈥淔low,鈥� an ecological parable about a cat in a flooded world, was the first Oscar ever for a Latvian film.
"Thank you to my cats and dogs," director Gints Zilbalodis accepting the award.
鈥榃icked鈥� and 鈥楾he Brutalist鈥� each wins two
鈥淲icked鈥� stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo with a tribute to Los Angeles following the wildfires that devastated the Southern California metropolis earlier this year. Grande sang 鈥淪omewhere Over the Rainbow" and Erivo performed Diana Ross鈥� 鈥淗ome鈥� before the 鈥淲icked鈥� stars joined together for 鈥淒efying Gravity鈥� from their blockbuster big-screen musical.
Later, among the best-picture nominees, won awards for production design and costume design.
鈥淚鈥檓 the first Black man to receive the costume design award,鈥� said costume designer who couldn鈥檛 finish that sentence before the crowd began to rise in a standing ovation. 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of this.鈥�
Best makeup and hairstyling went to 鈥淭he Substance" for its gory creations of beauty and body horror. 鈥淒une: Part Two鈥� won for both visual effects and sound, and its sandworm 鈥� arguably the star of the night 鈥� figured into multiple gags throughout the evening.
Brady Corbet鈥檚 sprawling postwar epic 鈥淭he Brutalist,鈥� shot in VistaVision, won for its cinematography, by Lol Crawley, and its score, by Daniel Blumberg. The papal thriller 鈥淐onclave,鈥� which some had picked to upset 鈥淎nora,鈥� went home with just one award, for best adapted screenplay.
Politics go unmentioned, at first
Though the Oscars featured the first time an actor was nominated for portraying a sitting U.S. president (Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump in 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥�), politics went largely unmentioned through most of the ceremony.
The president鈥檚 name was never uttered during the nearly four-hour ceremony. While the show featured several striking political moments, much of this year鈥檚 Oscars was more dedicated to considering the fluctuating place of movies in today鈥檚 culture, and in Los Angeles鈥� resilience following the devastating wildfires of January.
O鈥橞rien avoided politics completely in his opening monologue. The first exception was nearly two hours in, when presenter Daryl Hannah announced simply: 鈥淪lava Ukraini" ("Glory to Ukraine!")
a documentary about Israeli occupation of the West Bank made by a collation of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, After failing to find a U.S. distributor, the filmmakers opted to self-distribute 鈥淣o Other Land.鈥� It grossed more than any other documentary nominee.
鈥淭here is a different path, a political solution, without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both our people,鈥� said Yuval Abraham, an Israeli, speaking beside co-director Basel Adra, a Palestinian. 鈥淎nd I have to say, as I am here, the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path. Why? Can鈥檛 you see that we are intertwined, that my people can鈥檛 be truly safe if Basel鈥檚 people aren鈥檛 truly free?
Walter Salles鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 Still Here,鈥� a portrait of resistance under the Brazilian military dictatorship, At one point, that award seemed a lock for 鈥淓milia P茅rez." But while 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� collapsed, 鈥淚鈥檓 Still Here鈥� rode a wave of passionate support in Brazil and political timeliness elsewhere.
O'Brien scores in opening
O鈥橞rien, introduced as 鈥渇our-time Oscar viewer,鈥� opened the ceremony with genial ribbing of the nominees and the former talk-show host鈥檚 trademark self-deprecation.
鈥溾�楢 Complete Unknown.鈥� 鈥楢 Real Pain.鈥� 鈥楴osferatu.鈥� These are just some of the names I was called on the red carpet," said O'Brien.
Hosting for the first time, O'Brien was a smash success. In his opening monologue, the former talk show host leaned on the disappointed face of John Lithgow, a full-throated 鈥淐halamet!鈥� from Adam Sandler and a gag of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos being delivered to the red carpet in a cardboard box.
O'Brien's most sincere comments were reserved for Los Angeles, itself, in speaking about the enduring 鈥渕agic and grandeur鈥� of film in wake of the wildfires. O'Brien, by the fires, then segued into a musical routine, singing: 鈥淚 won't waste time.鈥�
An unpredictable Oscar year
This year's Oscars, among the most unpredictable in years, unspooled after a turbulent year for the film industry. Ticket sales were down 3% from the previous year and more significantly from pre-pandemic times. The strikes of 2023 played havoc with release schedules in 2024. Many studios pulled back on production, leaving many out of work. The fires, in January, only added to the pain.
Last year鈥檚 telecast, propelled by led the Oscars to a four-year viewership high, with 19.5 million viewers. With smaller indies dominating this year, the academy was sure to be tested in finding as large an audience.
The ceremony took place days following . Morgan Freeman, his co-star in 鈥淯nforgiven鈥� and 鈥淯nder Suspicion,鈥� honored him.
鈥淭his week, our community lost a giant,鈥� said Freeman, 鈥渁nd I lost a dear friend.鈥�
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For full coverage of this year鈥檚 Oscars, visit:
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
