The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories, honoring films released in 2024. The ceremony was televised in the United States by ABC and streamed on Hulu for the first time. Comedian Conan O'Brien hosted the show for the first time, with Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan returning as executive producers.
Anora won a leading five awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included The Brutalist with three awards; Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, and Wicked with two awards each; and Conclave, Flow, I'm Not a Robot, I'm Still Here, In the Shadow of the Cypress, No Other Land, The Only Girl in the Orchestra, A Real Pain, and The Substance with one each. The telecast drew 19.69 million viewers in the United States.
Key date
Winners and nominees
The nominees for the 97th Academy Awards were announced on January 23, 2025, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, by actress Rachel Sennott and actor Bowen Yang. Emilia Pérez led all nominees with thirteen nominations, the most for a non-English-language film in Oscars history, while The Brutalist and Wicked tied for second with ten nominations each. The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 2, 2025.
For her performance in Emilia Pérez, Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón became the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an acting category. This is the first year two films were nominated for both Best Picture and Best International Feature Film—Emilia Pérez and I'm Still Here, with the latter becoming the first Portuguese-language film to be nominated for Best Picture, as well as the first Brazilian film to win an Oscar after winning Best International Feature Film.
The Best Director nominees were all first-time nominees in the category. The last time an entirely new lineup of nominees competed in the director race was in 1998. Sound mixer Andy Nelson received his 25th nomination for Wicked, second only to John Williams (with 54) for the most nominations for a living person. Sean Baker's four wins (for Anora) tied with Walt Disney for most Oscars won by a person in the same year—with the unique distinction of Baker being the first person to receive all four Oscars for the same film.
Mikey Madison (for Anora) became the first member of Generation Z to win an acting Oscar. Zoe Saldaña (for Emilia Pérez) became the first Dominican American to win an Oscar for acting, winning Best Supporting Actress. Best Documentary Feature Film recipient No Other Land became the first Palestinian film to win an Academy Award, with its co-director Basel Adra becoming the first Palestinian filmmaker to win an Oscar. Paul Tazewell (for Wicked) became the first Black man, and the second Black costume designer overall after Ruth E. Carter (for Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), to win Best Costume Design.
Memoir of a Snail became the second R-rated animated film to be nominated for Best Animated Feature after Anomalisa (2015). Flow became the first independent animated film and the first animated film without dialogue to win Best Animated Feature, with director Gints Zilbalodis and co-producer Matīss Kaža becoming the first Latvians to win an Academy Award. This marks the first time a non-Disney/Pixar film won the category for three consecutive years, the other two winners being Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and The Boy and the Heron.
Awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).
Governors Awards
The Academy held its 15th annual Governors Awards ceremony on November 17, 2024, during which the following awards were presented:
Honorary Awards
- To Quincy Jones, for his artistic genius, relentless creativity and trailblazing legacy in film music. (posthumous)
- To Juliet Taylor, for her expansive body of work and indelible influence on the field of film casting.
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
- Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli – For "their contribution to the industry's theatrical landscape".
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
- Richard Curtis – "A brilliant comedic storyteller [with] tremendous charitable efforts".
Films with multiple nominations and awards
Presenters and performers
The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or tributes:
The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, performed musical numbers:
Ceremony information
In October 2024, the Academy hired television producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, for the second year in a row, to oversee production of the 2025 ceremony with veteran television director Hamish Hamilton selected to direct the telecast, also for the second consecutive year and his fifth time overall. "We are delighted to announce the return of our incredibly dynamic and creative Oscars team, Raj, Katy, Hamish, Misty, Alana and Dave. And we are thrilled to announce the addition of the brilliant Michael Bearden," said AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer and AMPAS President Janet Yang in a press release justifying their selection of the producers. "Their love for cinema, their collective creative vision, and their unparalleled expertise in live television make them the perfect team to create an exceptional show for our global audience on the film industry's biggest night." In response, Kapoor and Mullan released a statement, stating: "We are thrilled to lead the brilliant Oscars production team again and work alongside the Academy and Disney/ABC to help create an unforgettable night of television for movie lovers worldwide. We hope to continue to inspire and connect new generations to share our love for the art of filmmaking and celebrate all the incredible artists who are Oscar-nominated this year."
The following month, comedian, podcaster and former talk show host Conan O'Brien was announced as host of the event. Before this decision, speculation and word from reliable sources indicated the Academy was leaning toward a format with multiple hosts sharing duties throughout the show; this was floated after both Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted four times (in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024), and John Mulaney, who had hosted the 14th Governors Awards to much praise, both reportedly turned down the opportunity. A combo of Deadpool & Wolverine stars Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds were also among those buzzed to be in the mix, but the latter told Deadline Hollywood that it was highly unlikely though he said he would like to host it with Jackman "someday". As for the production team, returning to the telecast are Rob Paine as co-executive producer, Taryn Hurd and Sarah Levine Hall as producers, Mandy Moore as supervising choreographer, and Bob Dickinson and Noah Mitz as lighting designers; producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney, long-time collaborators of O'Brien, join the team for the first time. Collaborating with O'Brien as writers are Amberia Allen, José Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Berkley Johnson, Ian Karmel, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Matt O'Brien, Agathe Panaretos, and Sweeney.
In February 2025, the Academy announced that the telecast would not include past acting winners presenting the nominees for the acting categories. This format, dubbed as the "Fab 5", first used in 2009 and featuring five previous winners praising one acting nominee each, was brought back in 2024 after a fifteen-year absence. Instead, it was used for categories to highlight below-the-line talent, with notable actors speaking out about the contributions of the nominees behind the scenes of their craft. For the acting categories, the previous ceremony's acting winners appeared as presenters and read the nominees for a category.
For the third year in a row, the ceremony featured a special tribute to the James Bond franchise, in this case to honor longtime franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson following being honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for "their contribution to the industry's theatrical landscape". The artists Doja Cat, Lisa, and Raye teamed up to perform "Live and Let Die", "Diamonds Are Forever", and "Skyfall", respectively, with Halle Berry (a former Bond girl) introducing the tribute and Margaret Qualley dancing to the James Bond Theme.
For the second year in a row, Amelia Dimoldenberg returned as the social media ambassador and red carpet correspondent. The ceremony, for the first time, was streamed live on Hulu and internationally on Disney . The Hulu stream was notably met with technical issues, crashing multiple times throughout the ceremony, and prematurely ending the stream just before the Best Actress nominees were announced; Hulu apologized the following day. A half-hour American Idol season 23 premiere special aired immediately following ABC's telecast.
Adrien Brody, who won Best Actor for The Brutalist, delivered the longest acceptance speech in Oscars history. He spoke for 5 minutes and 40 seconds; 10 seconds longer than Greer Garson's Best Actress speech for Mrs. Miniver (1942).
Impact of Los Angeles wildfires
Voting for the nearly 10,000 Academy members opened on January 8, 2025, and was originally set to close on January 12, but due to the Southern California wildfires, the deadline for Oscar nomination voting was extended to January 17. The nominations announcement, originally scheduled to be announced on January 17, was delayed to January 23.
Changes to the ceremony itself would also occur in the wake of the wildfires, with the Academy choosing to honor the Los Angeles community and its role in the film industry. As part of this shift, it was announced that the five musical pieces nominated for Best Original Song would not be performed live, and instead the songwriters will be highlighted through personal reflections and behind-the-scenes insight from the creative teams behind the music. In response, the Society of Composers & Lyricists urged the Academy to walk back its decision. A letter was sent to the Academy's CEO, president and board of governors, as well as to the producers of the telecast; the Academy declined to comment. During a virtual panel discussion for the Songwriters Hall of Fame in which all the songwriter nominees were in attendance, Diane Warren (nominated for "The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight) deemed the decision "extremely disrespectful". She added: "We've all written songs that are really integral to the movies they're in. And to me, it's unfair to both the nominees and the audience out there to not be able to hear them."
In January 2025, addressing how the wildfires would affect preparation of the ceremony and his position as host, O'Brien told The Hollywood Reporter: "It's not the easiest assignment I've ever had, but I'm embracing it. And it's not about me, obviously. This is a moment for all of us to step back and say, 'Be humble.' Just be humble and say, 'This is a massive moment. This is a terrible thing that's happened in Los Angeles' ... The strategy is my writers and I, and the team that I'm working with at the Oscars, who are fantastic, the producers, everyone, we've got all of our sensors out." That same month, O'Brien further expanded on his process amid the tragedies, speaking with ABC News on Good Morning America, stating: "There's a lot that's happening nationally that people are very tense about and it changes day to day. And so my job right now with my writers is to create possibilities ... That's what we're doing. We're working hard to create possibilities."
Critical reviews and reactions
Many media outlets received the broadcast positively, with O'Brien's performance being universally praised. Columnist Adam White of The Independent considered it to be "the best Oscars in years" while Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson called O'Brien's hosting as "brilliantly emceed". The Atlantic television critic Shirley Li praised O'Brien's performance, writing that he "understood the assignment" and "looked like he belonged there". Time's Judy Berman wrote that O'Brien "nailed the Oscars hosting job simply by being Conan" and that he balanced "impish humor with a palpable love for movies" and Deadline Hollywood's Dominic Patten claimed that O'Brien brought "some much needed and sometimes self-deprecating energy". IndieWire's Ben Travers graded the ceremony with an A– and added that O'Brien "delivered a damn good show". Conversely, Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter was more critical, citing "too many head-scratching choices and tonal inconsistencies", but praised O'Brien as "a fully capable host" and opined that "some of the writing within the telecast was impressively sharp".
Furthermore, O'Brien mostly kept politics out of his hosting remarks and quips. However, following Sean Baker's first two wins (Best Film Editing and Best Original Screenplay) for Anora, O'Brien congratulated the film's success and delivered a joke, saying: "I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian", seemingly referring to President Donald Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and how Trump is dealing with the Russo-Ukrainian War; the joke was met with laughter, resounding applause, and massive cheers from the audience.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "The 97th Oscars won't win any awards for brevity, but it earns kudos for a genuinely celebratory mood and the comedic stylings of fresh-faced new kid on the block, Conan O'Brien."
Ratings and reception
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 19.69 million people over its length, marking a 1% increase from the previous year's ceremony. That total, which comes from a combination of Nielsen's measurement of linear viewers on ABC plus livestreams on Hulu, indicates a five-year viewership increase. It became the highest-rated entertainment (non-sport and non-informative) television program in the 2024–25 television season. Moreover, it had the highest rating among adults age 18–49 this awards season with a 4.54 rating, up 19% from last year. When isolated to adults 18–34, it was the highest-rated Academy Awards in five years with a 3.17 rating. On social media, it generated 104.2 million interactions, the most of any television program in the 2024–25 season so far.
"In Memoriam"
Montage
In introducing the "In Memoriam" montage, Morgan Freeman also gave an individual spoken tribute to Gene Hackman. The montage, which featured the Los Angeles Master Chorale performing "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem, paid tribute to the following individuals:
The segment faced criticism for omitting several significant personalities; notably Jim Abrahams, Alain Delon, Carlos Diegues, Shannen Doherty, Mitzi Gaynor, Bernard Hill, Olivia Hussey, Claude Jarman Jr., Linda Lavin, Sérgio Mendes, Martin Mull, Ken Page, Liam Payne, Silvia Pinal, Morgan Spurlock, Tony Todd, and Michelle Trachtenberg (the latter who, like Hackman, had died the week prior). However, like years prior, they are available on the Academy's official newsletter.
Quincy Jones tribute
Several presentations after the In Memoriam montage, and prior to the presentation of the last four awards, an individual tribute to Quincy Jones was presented by Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. After their remarks, Queen Latifah performed "Ease on Down the Road" from The Wiz (the second Wiz song performed at the ceremony); Jones had been the music producer for the film version.
See also
- List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature
- List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature
- List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
References
External links
- The Oscars (2025) at IMDb
- Academy Awards official website
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences official website
- Oscars Channel at YouTube (run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
