On March 2, 2025, the Academy hosted its 88th Oscars Ceremony in Los Angeles, California. The night brought so many memorable moments, so here are five of the highlights and shocks:
Mikey Madison wins Best Actress
Demi Moore in The Substance has been dominating this past award season at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards, making many believe she would win the Oscar, but Mikey’s performance in Anora wowed the Academy more.
I’m Still Here wins Best International Film over Emelia Perez
With 13 overall nominations for Emelia Perez, many were surprised to see Emelia Perez get snubbed by I’m Still Here. I’m Still Here is Brazil’s first international film win and many were still happy to see it get acknowledged by the Academy.
Adrian Brody’s Overwhelming Long Speech
The Brutalist star, Adrian Brody, broke the record time of longest Oscars speech at five minutes and forty seconds and even stopped the music from playing to speak more saying, “I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up; turn the music off. I’ve done this before.”
Flow wins Best Animated Feature
The small indie film, Flow, ultimately won over predicted winners such as Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot. Flow was actually made on the free platform called Blender and cost $3.7 million compared to Inside Out 2 which cost $200 million and The Wild Robot which cost $80 million. Flow’s win hopefully will inspire other filmmakers to go for quality over quantity.
Zoe Saldana wins Best Supporting Actress
Zoe’s win came with no shock since she had won many previous awards for her role in Emelia Perez such as the Golden Globe and SAG Award. She becomes the first women of Dominican Republic descent to win this award and her speech inspires many to not give up on their dreams. She says, “I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hardworking hands and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award but I know I will not be the last.”
This years Oscars did not disappoint and was a fun night to watch and we cannot wait for next years.