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The Internet Is Still Talking About These Awards Season Moments
This awards season was full of jaw-dropping wins, frustrating snubs, and enough drama to keep the internet buzzing for months. From ‘Anora’ sweeping the Oscars to Emilia Pérez facing one of the messiest campaign collapses in recent history, let’s break down the biggest moments, the surprises, and the disappointments of 2025.
The Big Winners: ‘Anora, ”The Brutalist’ and Zoe Saldaña Steal the Spotlight
This year belonged to ‘Anora.’ The indie drama about a New York stripper and the son of a Russian oligarch won Best Picture at the Oscars, along with Best Actress for Mikey Madison, who faced some stiff competition, showing that sometimes, it’s the smaller films that make the biggest impact.
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Meanwhile, “The Brutalist” cemented its legacy with Adrien Brody winning Best Actor at the Oscars, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and BAFTAs. The movie also took home the Golden Globe for Best Drama, marking a major comeback for Brody, whose performance as a Holocaust survivor-turned-architect won over critics and audiences alike.
Another major win? Zoe Saldaña, who dominated the Supporting Actress category for “Emilia Pérez” across EVERY award night. Despite the movie’s controversies (more on that later), Saldaña emerged unscathed, securing wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards, amongst many others.
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One of the biggest moments of the season came in the Best International Feature category. Despite being heavily favored, Emilia Pérez lost to Brazil’s “I’m Still Here” at the Oscars, a movie which made all Latin America proud and even gave Fernanda Torres the Golden Globe for Best Actress. However, given Emilia Pérez’s 13 nominations, many assumed it had this category in the bag, but the Academy had other plans.
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Snubs, Shutouts & Missed Opportunities
For every big win, there was a shocking snub. Here’s who left the awards season empty-handed or with far less than expected:
- Colman Domingo (Sing Sing): Nominated at every major ceremony but lost all three. A heartbreaking run for one of the year’s best performances.
- Demi Moore (“The Substance”): She won at the SAG Awards and Golden Globes, but the Oscars chose Mikey Madison instead.
- Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”): Lost Best Actor at the Oscars, despite being the lead role at two of the Best Picture nominated films, but snagged a SAG Award. His Bob Dylan biopic? Completely shut out.
- “Challengers”: Zendaya’s steamy tennis drama did well at the box office but was ignored by the Academy, not being nominated in even one category. Even the score, one of the best of the year, was snubbed.
- “Wicked”: Nominated for 10 Oscars, but only won two in craft categories. At least Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo delivered an unforgettable “Defying Gravity” performance at the ceremony.
- Elton John: The music legend was nominated for Best Original Song but left the Oscars empty-handed for the first time in his history.
- “Conclave”: Another of the year’s best movies and, even thought it got Best Ensemble Cast at the Golden Globes and the script was highlighted across many of the award shows, the film and its lead, Ralph Finnes, were heavily snubbed during the season.
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Meanwhile, Nosferatu surprised everyone by earning four Oscar nominations, but didn’t win a single award on the big night. And despite a strong early buzz, the animated indie Flow beat Disney’s Inside Out 2 and Universal’s The Wild Robot to win Best Animated Feature.
The Emilia Pérez Drama: A Campaign in Collapse
If there was one movie that went through the absolute most this season, it was Emilia Pérez. What started as a frontrunner ended with only two Oscar wins, setting a record for the fewest awards won by a movie with 13 or more nominations.
Everything went downhill when star Karla Sofía Gascón’s old tweets resurfaced, igniting a storm of backlash. The Academy distanced itself, Netflix pulled her from the campaign, and there was growing speculation that the controversy was ruining the movie’s chances. The only one who came out of it unscathed? Zoe Saldaña, who won every major Supporting Actress award and stood by her involvement in the movie without apology.
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In the end, Emilia Pérez served as a cautionary tale about how controversy and a chaotic campaign can derail an Oscar bid, no matter how many nominations you get.
The 2025 awards season combined triumphs, heartbreaks, and chaos, showing us that small indie movies like “Anora” and “I’m Still Here” could outshine big studios. It reminded us that controversy can derail a campaign, as evidenced by Emilia Pérez likely needing better PR. It also highlighted that Hollywood loves a comeback (looking at you, Adrien Brody.) Now, with this wild ride behind us, there’s only one question left: Who’s ready for next year?
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