“Anora” director Sean Baker has become the first person to win four Oscars in the same year for the same film.

During Sunday’s ceremony, Baker won Oscars for original screenplay, film editing, directing and best picture. With those, Baker ties another famous filmmaker: Walt Disney. But while Disney won four Oscars in the same night in 1953, it was for four different films. Disney was also nominated that year for “Ben and Me” and “Rugged Bear.”

When Baker accepted the award for best director, he thanked the Academy for recognizing an independent film in “Anora.” “We’re all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater,” Baker said. He also took the opportunity to shoutout Quentin Tarantino, the category presenter, for casting Mikey Madison in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” which led Baker to cast her in “Anora.

“Wicked’s” Paul Tazewell has made Oscars history by becoming the first Black man to win for best costume design.

Tazewell, a previous nominee for “West Side Story,” already has an Emmy award (“The Wiz Live”) and Tony award (“Hamilton”) under his belt. He triumphed over fellow costume designers: Arianne Phillips (“A Complete Unknown”), Linda Muir (“Nosferatu”), Lisy Christl (“Conclave”) and Janty Yates and David Crossman (“Gladiator II”).

Tazewell has swept the season scooping up the BAFTA, Critics Choice and Costume Designers Guild awards along the way. He was also named one of Variety’s 10 artisans to watch in costume design, and was honored with the Variety Artisan Award in costume design at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

He is the second Black person to win in that category overall – Ruth E. Carter made Oscar history when she won for her work on “Black Panther.” She won a few years...

“Captain America: Brave New World” kept its box office crown for the third weekend in a row, earning $15 million for a first place finish. Its muted victory comes as Hollywood prepares to celebrate itself at the Oscars on Sunday, bringing an end to one of the most tumultuous awards seasons in recent memory.

Despite topping the charts, the Marvel and Disney adventure has struggled to match the success of previous entries in the MCU. It will end the weekend having grossed $163.7 million domestically, a sizable figure for most movies, though a disappointment for this blue chip franchise. “Brave New World” has benefitted from a lack of competition, having primarily faced off against much lower budgeted indie releases. Globally, the superhero sequel, which cost $180 million to make and tens of millions more to market, has earned $341.8 million.

Focus Features’ “Last Breath” debuted to $7.8 million, capturing second place. The survival thriller tells...

Sunday might be billed as Hollywood’s biggest night, but it certainly won’t be outside of the Oscars ceremony. As the town readies for the last evening of awards season, theaters are seeing another muted weekend. Focus Features’ underwater thriller “Last Breath” is projecting a measured opening at $7.3 million. Meanwhile, Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” is expected to maintain No. 1 for the third weekend in a row, despite quickly losing momentum among moviegoers.

“Last Breath” dived into $3 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,018 venues. The survival thriller, about a real rescue operation by deep sea divers, is projected to earn $7.3 million through its opening frame. Alex Parkinson directs a cast that includes Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole, adapting from his own 2019 documentary of the same name. Focus acquired distribution rights last summer.

Reviews have been positive for “Last Breath” and audience sentiment is positive,...

If you can ignore the dodgy accents and liberties with the truth (a pacifist theologian involved in bomb plots?) then this no-frills film will hold interest

Earnest to a fault, this biopic of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor who resisted the Nazis and was eventually murdered by them in a concentration camp mere weeks before Adolf Hitler’s suicide, is old-school moviemaking of the sort that would have been up for Oscars 10 years ago.

Contributing to this slight sense of the passé is the decision to have everyone speak English but in a German accent, a curious choice that was standard practice for years but is now largely avoided. In a film aspiring to moral seriousness, it strikes a slightly odd note. It’s hard to take a line like, “I can see you standing here with a grass stain on your new lederhosen,” quite as seriously as perhaps the film-makers would like.

Before his Emmy Award nomination for "Severance" (the mind-bending second season of which is currently underway on Apple TV+) playing a man who literally splits his working and personal lives, or starring on the beloved sitcom "Parks & Recreation," Adam Scott was one of several guest stars on "Boy Meets World" who went on to make it big. The ABC sitcom was part of the popular T.G.I.F. Friday night programming from 1993-2000 before re-running on the Disney Channel and ABC Family. "Boy Meets World" follows a neurotic 11-year-old through his school years as he navigates becoming a better person with the help of his wise teacher Mr. Feeny, a romantic relationship with his one true love Topanga, and social class differences with his best buddy Shawn.

"Boy Meets World" was one of Adam Scott's first acting jobs, and even though his role as the high school bully Griff Hawkins was brief,...

The best "South Park" episodes combine the show's signature vulgarity with a genuinely meaningful message that says something about the world, and might even present a few ideas of how to do things better in the future. Failing that, the show can still usually be relied on to deliver a good laugh at the expense of whatever weirdness is dominating the zeitgeist at any given time. 

Still, despite the surprisingly grand pedigree the animated series has managed to build during its 26 seasons and counting, it hasn't always been at the top of its game. Every once in a while, "South Park" puts out a stinker that has nothing to do with Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo (voice of Trey Parker) and everything to do with ideas that fall flat on their face. Let's take a look at five of the worst episodes "South Park" has ever unleashed upon its viewers.

Screenis running this regularly updated page with the latest film festival and market dates from across the world.

To submit details of or alter your festival dates, pleasecontact us herewith the name, dates, country and website for the event.

Ongoing

Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme, UK - February 7-March 31

Glasgow Film Festival, UK - February 26-March 9

Borderlines Film Festival, UK - February 28-March 15

New York International Children’s Film Festival, US - February 28-March 16

Australian International Documentary Conference, Australia - March 2-5

March

Cartoon Movie, France - March 4-6

FrightFest Glasgow, UK - March 6-8

Kinoteka Polish Film Festival, UK...

The 1995 Sylvester Stallone sci-fi action movie "Judge Dredd" is kind of a hot mess. Based on the "Judge Dredd" stories in the British comic anthology series "2000 A.D.," the movie follows Stallone as the eponymous Judge Dredd, one of a number of "judges" who serve as judge, jury, and executioner in an attempt to stop rampant crime in an overpopulated city. With his iconic red and black helmet and massive golden epaulets on his shoulders, Stallone's Dredd is a pretty direct rendition of his comic book counterpart. While fans of the comics didn't get exactly what they wanted out of a "Judge Dredd" film until Pete Travis's "Dredd" came along in 2012, starring Karl Urban as the grimacing super-cop, there were at least a few nods to the source material in the Stallone version, including one seriously deep cut reference. 

Towards the end of "Judge Dredd," which might just be...

The wide open race to the 2025 Oscars culminated in an evening full of surprises and interesting takeaways.

Speeches largely steer clear of politics

One would have thought that Hollywood, long a bastion of free speech where A-listers have spoken out against oppression, would have used the Oscars to launch a critique of the early days of US President Donald Trump’s new administration. But just as Trump’s victory stunned Democrats and has left them quietly scrambling to rebuild, so it has rendered Hollywood largely speechless. Disney, parent of show broadcaster ABC, recently settled a lawsuit with Trump. Corporate heads...

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Marvel Studios was the reigning king of Hollywood cinema during the 2010s, led primarily by Robert Downey Jr.'s career-reviving turn as Tony Stark/Iron Man. In the new decade, though, the series has floundered a bit after "Avengers: Endgame."

So, in a Hail Mary move, Marvel has brought back Downey — not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom. Yes, Downey is trading one man in an iron mask role for another, and he will be the main villain of upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars." How exactly is this going to play out? Will Downey simply keep Doom's mask on the entire time, with only the audience knowing what he looks like underneath? Will he be from a universe that's different than the so-called "Sacred Timeline"?

In any case, I think it's regrettable that this is how many will meet Doctor Doom,...

Julia Stuart, director of original film at Sky, is leaving the company at the end of March.

Stuart headed up Sky’s original film division for six years, working across a slate of titles includingLee, Ferrariand The Beekeeper. Alongside a day-and-date model, she also became a keen champion of the theatrical release model for Sky Original films.

The role will not be replaced, with Stuart’s team, including head of original filmAndrew Orr and commissioning managerLaura Grange, now set to report into Sky’s Meghan Lyvers, executive director of original scripted, UK & Ireland.

Stuart joined Sky in 2006 as Pa to the director of Sky1,...

While Johnny Depp and Timothée Chalamet tried with varying degrees of success, neither actor was able to step out from the shadow of the late, great Gene Wilder when playing Willy Wonka. That's not a knock on their performances, but rather a testament to how iconic Wilder's role in Mel Stuart's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" remains to this day. It's also a role that the actor took very seriously, though he wouldn't have accepted the gig if one of his demands wasn't met.

Wilder put a lot of thought into playing Wonka, providing input on everything from his character's costume to elevating scenes. Regarding the latter, he told the 92nd Street Y, New York that he agreed to play Wonka on the condition that the chocolate factory owner performed some impressive gymnastics during his introductory scene, as opposed to the original plan, which portrayed him as slow and frail.

Worldwide box office: February 28-March 2 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Ne Zha 2 (various) $67.9m $1.99bn $66.1m $1.97bn 5 2. Captain America: Brave New World (Disney) $33.8m $341.8m $18.8m $178.1m 53 3. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (various) $15.7m $96.9m $15.7m $96.9m 78 4. The Monkey (various) $11.6m $38.3m $5.2m $13.6m 48 5. Paddington In Peru (Sony) $9.7m $164.4m $5.2m $133m 56 6. Mickey 17 (Warner Bros) $9m $9m $9m $9m 1 7. Last Breath (Universal) $7.8m $7.8m N/A N/A 6 8. A Complete Unknown (Disney) $7.4m $120m $6.5m $46.2m 45 9. Detective Chinatown 1900 (various) $6.6m $476.6m $6.6m $474.4m 9 10. Dog Man (Universal) $6.3m $113.1m $2.1m $29.1m 55

Credit: Comscore.

South Korea’s box office received a major boost at the weekend as Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 landed the biggest opening of the year to date with $6.67m from nearly a million cinemagoers.

The sci-fi feature starring Robert Pattinson dominated the chart with 980,549 admissions from 2,153 screens, accounting for 69% of the total revenue share from February 28 to March 2, according to the Korean Film Council.

For comparison, second place title Captain America: Brave New World took $722,000 and generated a 7.5% rev share from 110,888 admissions and 732 screens. The Marvel film was the previous bigger opener of 2025 and has a cume of $10.5m...

The latest in our series of writers paying tribute to all-time comfort classics is a recommendation of a 2001 Bollywood favorite

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon and you’ve just had a hearty lunch. You’ve settled in with the family for a little siesta and you put something comforting on TV – something that is cosy, reachable and the perfect companion to the wonderful feeling you’re wafting on. A giant bear hug that envelopes you and hits the sweet spot.

That is what Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham evokes for me. I know every scene, every line, every lyric in this three-and-a-half-hour sappy, emotional juggernaut that makes me feel all the feels – happy, sad, upset, hopeful, nostalgic. Karan Johar, the director of the movie, created a spectacle where the characters may be larger than life, but are relatable in the most basic of ways.

With the 2025 Academy Awards in the books, Variety is celebrating the Oscar wins of the stars and filmmaking talent that took home gold at the ceremony Sunday evening. Many of the night’s biggest winners graced the cover of Variety magazine, featured in the Actors on Actors series, guested on the Awards Circuit podcast and appeared in the crafts-focused Inside the Frame video series. Revisit the coverage below.

Variety Covers

Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), best actor: Inside Adrien Brody’s Private World: How ‘The Brutalist’ Pushed Him to the Limit — and Just Might Win Him Another Oscar

Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”), best supporting actress: Zoe Saldaña Rebooted: Why the Action Star Broke Her ‘Cycle of Sequels’ for ‘Emilia Pérez’ — And Her One Wish for Marvel’s Next Gamora

Actors on Actors

Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), best actor: Adrien Brody and Tilda Swinton Get Existential, From ‘The Brutalist’ Suffering to Growing...

Stephanie Beacham is reduced to comic foil in this cliche-ridden tale of the bond that forms between an ailing woman and her grumpy granddaughter

‘You’ve totally got one of those inspirational quote calendars, haven’t you?” says teenaged Alzheimer’s carer Chloé (Eloise Smyth) in her therapy session. “No, I’ve got three of them,” replies her counsellor. That about sums up this well-meaning but hapless sub-Hallmark comedy-drama – whose attempts to sweeten the subject matter with humour only serve to direct it towards every cliche-branch on its way down the tree of trite life lessons.

Chloé is your typical feckless sixth-former, busy warring with her mum Eileen (Elizabeth Berrington) and bunking off her swimming training. After her grandma Peg (former Dynasty actor Stephanie Beacham) forgets to put the chicken in the oven one day and Eileen moves her into her own home, the youngster is drafted in as an impromptu carer.

Eastern India’s dominant entertainment conglomerate Svf and its streaming platform Hoichoi have unveiled an expansive content lineup featuring over 25 new titles spanning series, theatrical releases, and innovative formats. The announcement came during “Golper Parbon 1432,” a showcase event celebrating Svf’s 30-year journey in Bengali-language entertainment.

Leading the theatrical slate are two major star vehicles: Prosenjit Chatterjee’s adventure thriller “Vijaynagar’er Hirey” and Dev’s period fantasy “Raghu Dakat.” In “Vijaynagar’er Hirey,” directed by Chandrasish Ray, Chatterjee reprises his iconic role as the intrepid adventurer Kakababu, who embarks on a perilous quest for a mythical treasure. Meanwhile, “Raghu Dakat,” directed by Dhrubo Banerjee, features Dev alongside Anirban Bhattacharya, Sohini Sarkar, Idhika Paul, and Roopa Ganguly in a fantasy rooted in Bengal’s history, chronicling the rise of an outlaw.

The streaming platform is reaching its milestone 200th original series. Among the most anticipated series are “Anushandhan,” starring Subhashree Ganguly...

The 3.9-magnitude quake shook the North Hollywood area late on Sunday night, but no significant reports of damage have been received

An earthquake has hit Los Angeles just after the Oscars ceremony wrapped up.

According to a report from the United States Geological Survey, a 3.9-magnitude earthquake 15km below the earth’s surface struck the North Hollywood district of the city at 22:23 local time on 2 March.

The South Korean box office experienced a seismic shift this weekend as “Mickey 17” claimed the top spot with a commanding $6.6 million debut, capturing 69.06% of the market share.

The sci-fi film, directed by Bong Joon Ho and starring Robert Pattinson, not only outpaced all competitors but also set a new high for 2025, surpassing the opening of “Captain America: Brave New World.” According to Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the weekend of Feb. 28-March 2 saw the top 10 films earn a total of $9 million, a significant boost from the previous weekend’s $4.4 million.

“Mickey 17,” which follows a ‘reprinted’ worker (Pattinson) on a distant planet colony tasked with dangerous jobs that no one else will do, attracted 980,549 admissions over the weekend across 2,153 screens. Warner Bros. reported a four-day opening total of KRW12.9 billion ($9 million), benefiting from a non-traditional Friday release and the Monday Independence Day Movement holiday.

At the 97th Academy Awards, Sean Baker made history, while Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin took acting prizes

• How Anora swept the Oscars – and the complete list of winners

• The red carpet and Oscars ceremony – in pictures

And now a special live update from the Guardian’s Xan Brooks at the Dolby theatre in Hollywood …

First trip to the Oscars. Impossibly glamorous arrival. Non-celebrity guests, I discover, access the Dolby theatre by walking around the police cordons, across a filling station forecourt and past a shuttered bowling alley to the theatre doors. This is perhaps what’s known unofficially as the Karla Sofía Gascón Entrance. But I’m now safely inside and have been handed a spring roll to eat.

The celebrated Black American author’s arrival in the City of Light is reimagined in this freewheeling feature, which prioritises images over the spoken word

There’s a woozy and seductive quality to Yashaddai Owens’s impressionistic narrative debut. Shot in evocative black and white on textured 16mm stock, this almost dialogue-free feature evokes the freewheeling spirit of 1920s city symphony films. The propulsive opening alights at Istanbul, a metropolis gradually rousing from slumber. First lingering on wandering stray dogs and cats, Jimmy soon shifts gear into a more energetic mode; animated by the rhythm of urban life, the camera swirls around the bustling city, taking in its beautiful people and architecture. Enveloping these images is Paco Andreo’s chameleonic score, which accompanies almost the entire length of the film. Though at times punctuated by diegetic on-location sounds, the shape-shifting music responds to the ebb and flow of the montage,...

Sean Baker’s film is muddled, hollow at the middle and about the fifth least vital of the best picture lineup

How Anora swept the Oscars – and the complete list of winnersThe red carpet and Oscars ceremony – in pictures

It is hard to imagine a more charming Oscar winner than Sean Baker. The director – and writer, editor and producer – of Anora was wonderfully persuasive and gracious and fluent at the Academy Awards. He was funny picking up best editing, and then he was sweet accepting the screenwriter prize.

When it came to the directing gong, he was downright godlike: the podium his soapbox, superbly leveraged for a gang-busting call to arms about the importance of cinema and the need for people to support bricks and mortar venues.

China’s box office continued to be dominated by “Ne Zha 2,” which grossed RMB471.9 million ($65.5 million) over the Feb. 28–March 2 weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $1.98 billion, according to Artisan Gateway. The Cococartoon release is closing in on the $2 billion milestone with sustained audience interest.

“Ne Zha 2” also continued to set new benchmarks in Imax. The animated phenomenon added $7.6 million in Imax earnings over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total in the format to $144 million. The film has now surpassed 15 million Imax admissions in China alone, making it one of the top four most attended Imax movies of all time globally. Since the start of the Lunar New Year period, Imax titles have collectively reached a cumulative total of $160 million, with “Ne Zha 2” accounting for the lion’s share of that figure.

In second place, As One Production’s “Detective Chinatown 1900” added $6.9 million to its total,...

Political metaphors were the dark undercurrent in this year’s crop of Oscars, from Anora’s toxic masculinity to the revolutionary defiance of I’m Still Here

So, as Conan O’Brien pointed out, the Oscars went to a film about someone standing up to a Russian, and maybe recent events mean we have to probe its political metaphor even further. Sean Baker’s cacophonous, crazy non-love story Anora won five Academy Awards including best actress for that rather amazing and newly born star Mikey Madison, playing the tough, smart, beautiful New York lap dancer who gets a Vegas quickie marriage to the spoilt and pusillanimous son of a Russian oligarch and then has to stand up to his parents. Madison embodies Anora’s complex courage: not exactly romantic, not exactly in love, but certainly believing in the wedding contract, in her own status as a legally married woman and in the...

The Oscars ceremony Sunday evening kept within the mold of prior awards ceremonies this year, steering clear of politics and avoiding even name-dropping Donald Trump. There was a brief zinger by host Conan O’Brien, spurred by trophies won by “Anora”: “Two wins already, I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.” That evoked Trump’s characterization of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator,” as well as the tense media spectacle of the pair’s White House meeting earlier this week to discuss America’s foreign aid amid Russia’s invasion of the country.

But apart from that, the host and presenters dodged name-dropping Trump at all, even while introducing acting nominees Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan, who were representing a Trump biopic in “The Apprentice.” The evening kept with the tone set by January’s Golden Globes, the first major televised awards ceremony of the season,...

Best supporting actress Oscar winner addressed complaints about the Netflix musical after a journalist said it was ‘really hurtful’

Anora dominates the Oscars – here’s the complete list of winners

Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña has apologised to Mexicans who were offended by controversial musical Emilia Pérez.

The star picked up the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in the Netflix movie and in the press room after her win, a journalist told her the film has been “really hurtful for us Mexicans”.

Anora takes home best picture Oscar

Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison win best acting prizes

Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña win supporting awards

Anora’s Sean Baker wins for directing, editing ands creenplay...

Fair warning, the ratings for the 97th Academy Awards aren’t gonna be great. That’s no fault of Conan O’Brien, who killed in the room and showed not a sign of nervousness in his first time as emcee. Frankly, many will likely welcome his return next year, assuming he’s willing to do it. The show had other issues inherent to the nominees themselves. “Anora,” the Best Picture winner that effectively dominated the proceedings, is one of the lowest-grossing champions in decades.

Continue reading ‘Anora’s Oscar Domination Proves When Neon Wins It Wins Big at The Playlist.

Sean Baker’s film took five Academy Awards on Sunday evening. Here’s how it triggered the landslide

• Anora dominates the Oscars – here’s the complete list of winners

Anora is officially film of the year, crowned supreme at the Oscars, just as it was at Cannes when it was anointed with the Palme d’Or last May. That’s a long path to glory, and a fairly untrodden one. Parasite made it five years ago; the previous film to do so was Marty in 1955.

Anyway: a small number. Acquired by Neon for the US before Cannes, Anora opened there last October in an effective rollout. Half of its earnings were made stateside, with the rest predominantly in Europe, and France – which takes Cannes seriously – proving the major market. It has also done brisk trade in Russia ($3m so far), which can’t be said for a lot of the other nominees,...

For a second — somewhere between Cynthia Erivo’s fourth and 14th “ah” during the high point of “Defying Gravity” — you may have wondered, “How is Conan O’Brien going to follow this?” Opening with a live musical number that bridged “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz,” and “Wicked” and culminated with a song guaranteed to give anyone within earshot goosebumps… well, starting with a showstopper sure makes it hard for the comic relief to restart the show. Would he lean into the big emotions by kicking off with the Oscars‘ ode to L.A. firefighters? Would he head in the opposite direction with a joke that undercut Erivo and Ariana Grande’s much-anticipated performance? Would he simply wait it out — let the stars hand out a few awards before stepping in to serve as a low-key, supportive-type host?

No, Conan O’Brien answered the question like a true pro: He simply got them laughing.

Zoe Saldaña has an Oscar thanks to “Emilia Pérez,” but the Best Supporting Actress winner couldn’t escape awards season without defending her controversial film one last time. Backstage at the Dolby, Saldaña took questions from press and responded to a Mexican reporter who described the country as “the heart of the film.” They further described French filmmaker Jacques Audiard’s depiction of Mexico as “hurtful” — and asked Saldaña to react to the criticism.

“First of all, I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended,” Saldaña said. “That was never our intention. We spoke and came from a place of love, and I will stand by that.”

She continued, “I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We weren’t making a film about a country. We were making a film about four women. And these women could have been Russian.

Talents from the UK won a handful of Oscars in this year’s Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night.

Several winners were honoured for their work on The Brutalist, on which the UK branch of Brookstreet Pictures was the lead producer, with UK companies LipSync and Intake Films also among the production entities.

UK cinematographer Lol Crawley won the Oscar in that category for The Brutalist and UK composer Daniel Blumberg took a statuette for the film’s original score.

UK writer Peter Straughan won the adapted screenplay Oscar for Conclave, a US-uk co-production with source material by UK author Robert Harris.

Talents from the UK and Ireland won a handful of Oscars in this year’s Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night.

Several winners were honoured for their work on The Brutalist, on which the UK branch of Brookstreet Pictures was the lead producer, with UK companies Lip Sync and Intake Films also among the production entities.

UK cinematographer Lol Crawley won the Oscar in that category for The Brutalist and UK composer Daniel Blumberg took a statuette for the film’s original score.

UK writer Peter Straughan won the adapted screenplay Oscar for Conclave, a US-uk co-production with source material by UK author Robert Harris.

Living up to its fairytale reputation, “Anora” has swept the 97th Academy Awards. On Oscars Sunday, Sean Baker’s Best Picture winner — starring Best Actress winner Mikey Madison as a stripper swept off her feet by the son of a Russian oligarch — took home five of its six nominations.

Just as he did in his four acceptance speeches of the evening, Baker thanked the Academy for celebrating indie film, saying that they’re always entering this process knowing they’ll be competing against movies that have budgets that are “literally almost 100 times” the cost of what they’re spending.

“To get into the same room as a movie such as ‘Wicked,’ a wonderful movie, but a totally different film from ours, it means we’re doing something right,” Baker said backstage to press. “It’s been a great tradition over the last few years of films being recognized, and this...

Conan O’Brien was on hosting duties for the first time at this year’s Academy Awards, which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood last night (March 2).

After a skit that saw him pay homage to The Substance by climbing out of Demi Moore’s body in his dressing room, O’Brien delivered a confident monologue that poked gentle fun at the nominees and himself. For example: “A Complete Unknown, A Real Pain, Nosferatu– these were just some of the names I was called on the red carpet”. On The Brutalist, he said: “I didn’t want it to end…...

In a sense, you could say it was like the good old days. Oscar night, whether the telecast is great or just so-so (I’m all but incapable of finding the Oscars outright bad — I’m too much of an entertainment junkie), always gave you the feeling that Hollywood was at the center of the world. The Oscars were about quality meeting popularity, about a kind of middle-of-the-road solid ground — and, at moments, artistic fearlessness. They were a dream of how Hollywood wanted to be seen, a referendum on the state of the movie business. The image that the industry projected of itself always came through loud and clear.

That was certainly the case this year, as “Anora,” Sean Baker’s epic comedy about a sex worker who makes fast work of marrying a Russian oligarch’s son, won five of the six Oscars it was nominated for, in what amounted to an awesome sweep.

Following up on last year’s Oscars was going to be a very tough task for show producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan. Not only was there a critical, box-office smash hit winning the top prize going into the night (“Oppenheimer”) but there were fun reunions of former co-stars as presenters (“Twins” stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito), emotional speeches, and musical performances from Billie Eilish and Ryan Gosling for their hit “Barbie” songs that made us cry and rocked the house down.

Continue reading Best & Worst Of The 2025 Oscars: Conan O’Brien, ‘Wicked,’ Acceptance Speeches & More at The Playlist.

Anora and filmmaker Sean Baker were the big winners at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday (March 2), with the film winning five Oscars including best picture and Baker himself taking four.

Though it went into the evening with a relatively modest six nominations, the independent comedy drama earned Baker the Oscars for directing, original screenplay and editing. He was also recognised as one of the film’s three producers.

Mikey Madison added to the Anora haul by winning the lead actress Oscar.

Among the other films with multiple nominations going into the ceremony, The Brutalist came away with three wins...

After taking home the Oscar for best supporting actress, “Emilia Pérez” star Zoe Saldaña responded to criticism of the film’s portrayal of Mexico, after a journalist shared that it has been “really hurtful for us Mexicans.”

“First of all, I’m very, very sorry that many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention. We spoke from a place of love,” she told press in the interview room. “I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We were making a film about friendship. We were making a film about four women.”

She continued, “These women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza. And these women are still very universal women that are struggling every day, but trying to survive systemic oppression and trying to find the most authentic voices.

The 97th Academy Awards have concluded, ending one of the wildest awards seasons in recent memory. Unlike the last four years, going into Oscar night, there was no real consensus as to who would take home the top prize, Best Picture. Even beyond the biggest award of the night, several categories like Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and several technical categories felt either like a coin toss between two contenders or wide open entirely.

Continue reading Oscars 2025 Snubs & Surprise: ‘Flow,’ ‘A Complete Unknown’ & ‘No Other Land’ at The Playlist.

He went from Harold Pinter’s protege to barely scraping a living to roaring success in Jilly Cooper’s Rivals. With the release of his new film Marching Powder, he talks about his journey from national joke to national treasure

The Danny Dyer fanbase is an eclectic one. There are the ravers who got in on the ground floor, idolising Moff, the ranting pill dealer Dyer played in the 1999 film Human Traffic. There are the “sort of alpha males”, as he calls them; basically, lads who were into The Football Factory and his run of 00s films about hooliganism, drugs and sex (usually all three). Then, a nine-year run in EastEnders brought onside a lot of “old ladies”, he says. And now, with the success of Rivals – the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s book, in which he plays the kind-hearted self-made millionaire Freddie Jones – a hornier faction has joined his supporters’ ranks.

Sex workers, US foreign policy and Jeremy Strong were among the topics mentioned in this year’s Oscars speeches.

While accepting the award for best documentary, No Other Land filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra criticised the Israeli government in what was the evening’s most overtly poltical speech.

“[This film] reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades as we call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” said co-director Adra, who is a Palestinian activist.

Meanwhile, Israeli journalist and co-director Abraham called out the...

25-year old Mikey Madison is now an Oscar winner, taking home Best Actress for her lead role in "Anora" (but her character prefers "Ani"). Madison's Anora is a mid-20s sex worker and a second-generation Russian immigrant who stumbles into a relationship with an oligarch's son, Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn). Her Cinderella story turns into a screwball comedy, and then leaves her right back where she started when Vanya's disapproving parents learn of the elopement.

We at /Film are big fans of "Anora," and have proudly called it the best movie of 2024. Madison's performance is a big part of why we love it so much, and her Oscar win will doubtlessly propel her career even higher. "Anora" unquestionably proves she has the screen presence and talent to keep reaching even higher heights.

I first saw Madison act in "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood," but the first time I noticed...

It was a deeply unpredictable year – and Conan O’Brien, Adrien Brody and Timothée Chalamet all pulled out the antics

Anora dominates the Oscars. Here is the complete list of winners and photos from the red carpet

At the 2003 Oscars, Adrien Brody – who had just become the youngest best actor winner for his turn in The Pianist – planted an unplanned kiss on Halle Berry, the award’s presenter. The moment has stirred controversy in recent years, but the pair warded off any untoward discourse by recreating their lip-locking stunt at this year’s ceremony. Berry greeted Brody on the red carpet with a warm embrace before the pair smooched for the cameras. “Tonight I had to pay him back,” Berry told Variety. “He deserved that.” The academy, meanwhile, called it “a reunion 22 years in the making”.

Baker becomes only second person to claim four individual Oscars in one night, feat last completed by Disney in 1954

See complete list of winners and photos from the red carpet

Sean Baker’s four Oscar wins for Anora has seen the director match a 70-year old record held by one of Hollywood’s biggest names: Walt Disney.

In winning for best picture, best director, best editing and best original screenplay, Baker has become only the second person to claim four individual Oscars on a single night, a feat last completed by Disney in 1954, when he won best documentary for The Living Desert, best documentary short for The Alaskan Eskimo, best short cartoon Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom; and best short subject for Bear Country.

Anora takes home best picture Oscar

Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison win best acting prizes

Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña win supporting awards

Anora’s Sean Baker wins for directing,...

Lots of people are going home without Oscars as the Academy Awards are in the rearview mirror. Sean Baker, meanwhile, is going to need help carrying all of his awards home. That's because the writer and director (and editor) of "Anora" went home the opposite of empty-handed on Hollywood's biggest night. In fact, Baker just tied a very impressive record set by none other than the legendary Walt Disney.

Baker won four statues during the 2025 Academy Awards, taking home the Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director, and the big one, Best Picture. Mikey Madison also won Best Actress for her work in the film, meaning that "Anora" won five of the six categories it was nominated in. That makes it a mighty impressive sweep, with some upsets in the mix. Baker now also gets to say that he and Walt Disney are the only two people to...

It was (early) curtains for the Oscars for some unlucky viewers. The livestream of the Oscars ceremony that was made available through Hulu cut out early for many users, going dark shortly after 10:30 p.m. Et, prior to the prizes for Best Actress and Best Picture being awarded.

Some users at 10:30 p.m. Et, which was the scheduled time for it to conclude, saw a screen that read “Thank You For Watching!,” and that “This live event has now ended. You may exit playback and select something else to watch.” The Oscars ceremony ran long and concluded after 10:45 p.m. Et. “Hulu” was also one of the top trending topics on X at the time of writing as a result of the outages.

“This evening, we experienced technical and live stream issues on Hulu which impacted some Oscars viewers. We apologize for the experience and will make...

The 97th Academy Awards was a joyous affair, full of big orchestral numbers, celebrity singalongs and a triumphant hosting debut from Conan O’Brien. While “Anora” led the night with five wins, there were several snubs and surprises. Check out our list of the biggest unexpected moments below.

Surprise: Mikey Madison wins over award season darling Demi Moore

Demi Moore’s brave performance in “The Substance” seemed like it was a shoo-in for the best actress statue, given her redemption arc throughout award season and wins at the Globes, SAGs and Critics Choice Awards. Yet Madison’s performance helped “Anora” — which was awarded best picture immediately after her win — lead the night.

Snub: Original Song performances nixed

Some of the most memorable Oscar moments of all time have been the best original song performances, from Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s 1982 rendition of “Endless Love” to last year’s “I’m Just Ken” spectacular.

The 97th Academy Awards have wrapped and the entire 2025 Oscars winners list has been unveiled. We live updated the winners list throughout the entire night as the statuettes were handed out at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

“Anora” won five of the six Oscars for which it was nominated: Best Picture, Best Director Sean Baker, Best Original Screenplay (also for Baker), Best Editor (Baker again), and Best Actress for Mikey Madison. the only category it lost was Yura Borisov’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Anne Thompson’s final predictions were mostly right! It was undeniable that the Oscar race changed dramatically since the nominations were announced on January 23, and “Emilia Pérez” received 13 nods, the most ever for a non-English-language movie. The Jacques Audiard film ended up winning just two awards.

Indeed, when all was said and done, only the supporting categories were near-locks, as Kieran Culkin won Best...