The 97th Academy Awards took its debut this year on Sunday, March 2nd. It was a night of tribute, glamor, and remembrance as the finest actors and films were honored and crowned their respective awards. The night was hosted by Conan O’Brian, the late-night talk-show personality and comedian. 

The night began with Wicked stars, Cynthia Erivo, and Ariana Grande piling together the best songs from the film and executing a standing ovation-worthy performance. The night then commemorated LA’s first responders for their honorary service in the past 2 months with the fires. 

Throughout the night, numerous awards were given out. Anora emerged as the night's most celebrated film, securing five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Sean Baker, and Best Actress for Mikey Madison. Going into the night, Netflix musical/crime drama, Emilia Pérez, led with 13 nominations. Oz-set Wicked and The Brutalist, which stars Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor and architect, follow with 10 nods each. The Brutalist ended the night with three awards, including Best Actor for Adrien Brody. Wicked earned two wins, including Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. Dune: Part Two pulled off the win for Best Visual Effects, while also receiving the award for Best Sound. 

Some other winners from the night included Flow as the best animated feature film, and In the Shadow of the Cypress as the best animated short film. New and upcoming films and actors made their debut as Conclave won the best-adapted screenplay, and Kieran Culkin won the best actor in a supporting role. The night also included crowning Sean Baker for his work directing in Anora and “El Mal” from the film Emilia Pérez.  For the Oscars, the image of the industry the show projected was that of being more dominated than before by its newly international voting bloc and for the years to come we are to see what happens.