The 97th Academy Awards ceremony (best known as the Oscars) was held Sunday, March 2, 2024 in Hollywood, California at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The event was live-streamed online and broadcast on ABC.

The nominations for the 97th Oscars were announced January 23, 2025 by actor-writer-comedians Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott. The nominations event was live-streamed online and broadcast on TV.

Conan O'Brien did a decent job of hosting, but his stint will probably not be remembered as anything special. Sometimes, the best a host can hope for is to not to create a bad lasting impression. Having Nick Offerman provide the voice narration was perfect. Honoring the Los Angeles-area firefighters was a nice touch.

The awards presentations kept moving, and the proceedings never seemed to lose its pacing. This seems like it should be a given for a ceremony celebrating, among other things, editing for effective pacing. While originally scheduled for 3.5 hours, Conan O'Brien signed off at the 3:45 mark, which is perfectly acceptable. Over the years, I've seen these things go on for 4 hours plus!

If you've read my past articles about the Academy Awards ceremonies, the "In Memoriam" segment is something that I often comment on. This segment is a chance for the industry to recognize the contributions of those who make movies possible. Some years, this segment is quite effective and touching, but in some cases, it ends up falling short and frustrating movie fans. This year, the segment was accompanied by an interesting music choice, but it kicked off by a tribute by Morgan Freeman to Gene Hackman, who passed away very recently.

One of those recognized was Robert Laemmle, the longtime president of the arthouse theater chain Laemmle Theatres. Recognizing those in the exhibition business is important, so that was appreciated. A more complete list of industry figures lost this year can be found on the Academy's In Memoriam page on the Oscars website.

Anora Director Sean Baker Makes Plea Supporting Movie Theaters

Sean Baker won for his work as director of the Best Picture winner Anora, and he took the time given for his acceptance speech to make a pitch for movie theaters, especially independently-owned movie theaters.

He implored filmmakers to make movies for the big screen and promised that he would continue to do so. He asked distributors to "focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases" of their movies and thanked Neon for doing that for him and his film. He also encouraged parents to introduce their children to feature films in movie theaters, saying that they'll "be molding the next generation of movie lovers and filmmakers" just like his mom did starting when he was five years old. 

He finished by asking everyone to watch movies in movie theaters whenever possible to keep the great tradition of going to the movies alive.

We couldn't have said it better! Since the COVID shutdowns in 2020, we have lost many movie theaters. Baker mentioned a figure of 1,000 screens that have gone dark since that time. Our Theater Closings section of our News Journal is filled with the obituaries of theaters we have lost in the past five years. If you love going to the movie theater, especially that independently-owned theater where the owner and his family are working every day, don't drive by and appreciate its marquee. Stop in and watch a movie. Buy concessions. Bring your friends.

Movie theaters are businesses, and they can't stay in business without moviegoers. Make plans today to see the next movie you watch in a movie theater! Find out what's playing in a theater near you.

How to Watch the Winners and Nominees

Some of these movies are playing in theaters, while many have already made it to home video. Being nominated usually causes some of them to make a return appearance in theaters, and winning usually causes a return engagement for at least the top-line award winners. Head over to the Academy Award® Winners and Nominees page to see how to watch them and where, and when they're playing in theaters!

Academy Award Winners - By Category

Best Motion Picture of the Year

• Anora (Neon)
  A Cre Films Production
  Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, Producers

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

• Flow (Sideshow/Janus Films) - Nominees to be determined

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

• Adrien Brody in The Brutalist

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

• Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

• Mikey Madison in Anora

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

• Zoe Saldana in Emilia Pérez

Achievement in Cinematography

• The Brutalist (A24) - Lol Crawley

Adapted Screenplay

• Conclave (Focus Features)
  Screenplay by Peter Straughan

Original Screenplay

• Anora (Neon) - Written by Sean Baker

Achievement in Directing

• Anora (Neon) - Sean Baker

Best Documentary Feature Film

• No Other Land 

Best Documentary Short Film

• The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Netflix)

Achievement in Film Editing

• Anora (Neon) - Sean Baker

Best International Feature Film

• I'm Still Here - Brazil

Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling

• The Substance (MUBI) - Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)

• The Brutalist (A24) - Daniel Blumberg

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)

• "El Mal" from Emilia Pérez (Netflix) (Watch Video)
  Music by Clément Ducol and Camille
  Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard

Achievement in Production Design

• Wicked (Universal)
  Production Design: Nathan Crowley
  Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Best Animated Short Film

• In the Shadow of the Cypress - Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi

Best Live Action Short Film

• I'm Not a Robot (The New Yorker) - Victoria Warmerdam and Trent

Achievement in Sound

• Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)
  Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill

Achievement in Visual Effects

• Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)
  Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer

Achievement in Costume Design

• Wicked (Universal) - Paul Tazewell

Image above: The 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. ©A.M.P.A.S. All rights reserved. No reproduction allowed without prior written permission. 310-247-3000. Photo by Richard Harbaugh.

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