Anora, a film crafted by Sean Baker, garnered five prestigious awards at the 97th Academy Awards held on March 3, including accolades for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Comedian Conan O’Brien, making his debut as the host of the ceremony, emphasized the global audience and even attempted a few phrases in Hindi-Urdu, acknowledging the live broadcast from Hollywood, Los Angeles, during the early hours in India.

Baker, an accomplished and innovative director, was previously overlooked at the Oscars a decade ago when his 2015 film Tangerine, filmed entirely on an iPhone, made waves in the film festival circuit. This feature-length narrative depicted the lives of two transgender women, both engaged in sex work, as they navigated their daily struggles with discrimination and heartbreak, delivering powerful performances. Unfortunately, the film did not receive a nomination at that time.

Anora, which achieved significant recognition on Monday, centers on its titular character, a stripper and escort portrayed by Mickey Madison, who won the Best Actress award. She shares a week at the mansion of her wealthy and youthful client, the son of a Russian magnate, played by Mark Eydelshteyn. The comedy is characterized by extended cinematic takes and outstanding performances from the entire cast, including actors portraying Russian thugs sent to intimidate the young couple, all supported by a tightly woven script that intensifies midway through. Anora's success was anticipated.

The focus also shifted to Emilia Peréz, a Spanish-language musical that enthralled audiences. It showcased transgender actress Karla Sofía Gascón in the role of a Mexican cartel leader undergoing a gender transition. Directed by Jacques Audiard, the film garnered a shared Best Actress award for Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Despite receiving 13 nominations on Monday, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress, it ultimately won only two awards, with Saldaña claiming one of them.

Netflix acquired the streaming rights and initiated an elaborate Oscar campaign; however, controversy arose just months before the Oscars when Gascón's past tweets, which referenced the 2021 Oscar ceremony, George Floyd, and Islam, were criticized for their perceived bigotry. In light of the backlash, both the director and Netflix distanced themselves from Gascón, especially after her comments that attempted to defend her actions while also expressing regret for any offense caused. Many believed that this controversy adversely affected the film's prospects for an Oscar. Furthermore, the film did not resonate well in Mexico, where critics argued that it romanticized drug cartels responsible for countless deaths annually. Influential Mexican commentators and journalists expressed in national publications that the film trivialized the associated violence. In the press room following the ceremony, Saldaña expressed her apologies after a journalist conveyed that the film was particularly hurtful to Mexicans. “I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention. We spoke from a place of love,” The Guardian reported her as stating.

While Saldaña's victory was uncertain due to the surrounding controversies, Kieran Culkin, who won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in A Real Pain, was a clear frontrunner after securing all other major awards during the season, including the Bafta, the Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild Award.

Adrian Brody received his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Brutalist, a narrative centered on a fictional Hungarian architect who relocates to the United States after enduring the Holocaust. The film explores the architect's journey as he draws inspiration from the cultural climate of his time to establish the Brutalist architectural movement. Laurie Crawley, who provided stunning 70mm cinematography throughout the film's three-and-a-half-hour duration, was awarded Best Cinematography. Brody's acceptance speech was heartfelt, reflecting his characteristic blend of sentimentality and a lack of political commentary.

It is important to note that political themes were largely absent from the Oscars. While The Brutalist touches on the American Dream and the importance of migration, direct political discourse was minimal. Saldana notably identified herself as a “proud child of immigrant parents,” while The Apprentice, a film about former President Donald Trump, was overlooked in its nominated categories, including Best Actor. The documentary No Other Land, which addresses the Israeli demolitions of Palestinian properties in the southern West Bank, won an Oscar, and filmmaker Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, urged the global community to take decisive action against the injustices faced by the Palestinian people during his acceptance speech. Peter Straughan, the writer of Conclave, which garnered eight nominations including Best Picture, demonstrated his support for Ukraine by wearing a Ukrainian flag pin on his tuxedo. This gesture followed a televised exchange involving the American president, Vice-President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on February 28.

The host, O’Brien, made a brief reference to the contentious dialogue, where the American president discussed his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, through humor. “Anora is having a good night,” he remarked. “I guess Americans are finally excited to see someone stand up to a powerful Ru.”

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