Oscars 2025: The Great Honor and Art of Storytelling
From left: Samantha Quan, Sean Baker, and Alex Coco display their awards. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The 97th Academy Awards came and went this year on March 2, 2025 with the usual display of grandeur. Opening on Ariana Grande in a glittering gown performing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, the evening was full of theatrics and performances—to the chagrin of those thinking they had heard Cynthia Erivo’s Wicked riff one too many times. Conan O’Brien hosted with a swath of jokes up his sleeves, and an overly silly and ridiculous song and dance number proclaiming “I Won't Waste Your Time” — he definitely did.
Truly, the Oscars didn’t need to do all this for a great show. They actually did something better. The show honored art in an incredible way: as a vehicle to tell the most important stories, highlight diverse experiences and shine a light on our darkest issues.
Moving past all the pomp, this season’s films highlighted a variety of social and political issues—and were generally rewarded for their creativity and courage. Many diverse stories were told in film this year, such as stories about sex workers, Anora; Holocaust survivors, The Brutalist; Palestinians and Israelis, No Other Land; politics and the Catholic Church, Conclave; aging and fading Hollywood stars, The Substance; and more.
No Other Land, which won the award for Best Documentary Feature Film, is a story of the destruction and struggle of the Israel-Palestine conflict, made by Basel Adra, a Palestinian, and Yuval Abraham, an Israeli. In his speech, Abraham says, “When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law, and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life and he can not control.” They call for a solution together, as they are “intertwined.”
While the film The Substance only took home one award at the Oscars, its story shows a relevant issue not only to these stars, but to us all. The fear of aging and the culture of quick fixes is great in the United States today. The horror movie shows the battle between a 50-year-old fading star and her dreamy 20-year-old counterpart. Written and directed by Coralie Fargaet, on a budget of only $18 million, this movie is about a reality of our culture that is surely hard to stomach.
Anora, a film highlighting the lives and struggles of sex workers through the story of one woman swept up in a chance for a way out of this life, took home five awards.
Sean Baker, writer and director of Anora, took home awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Director and Best Picture. In his first acceptance speech, he thanked the sex worker community and noted that he shared the Oscar with them. In his speech for Best Director, he talked in a “battle-cry” about the importance of supporting theatres and seeing movies on the big screen.
The beautiful Mikey Madison, who played the titular character Anora, took home the award for Best Actress and delivered an elegant speech thanking her family and also the sex worker community. Finally, the film won the coveted Best Picture award.
Anora swept the five awards on the budget of $6 million. In the crew’s acceptance speech, they highlighted the importance of independent films. Producer Samantha Quan remarked, “We made this with very little money but all of our hearts.”
Of course, big-budget movies such as Wicked and Dune: Part Two were successful at this show. However, these three movies in particular—No Other Land, The Substance, and Anora—show the great ability of film to transcend the constraints of money and glamour that are so prevalent in Hollywood. In this 97th year of the Academy Awards, we see more than ever that the art of film is about dedication, collaboration and shining a light on stories that might otherwise not be told.