'Anora' takes down 'Wicked' and 'The Brutalist' with HUGE 2025 Oscars victory

The 2025 Oscars ceremony ended with a major win for Anora.

The film took home the Oscar for the Best Picture from the 97th Academy Awards on March 2.

The prestigious event, hosted by Conan O’Brien, saw Sean Baker's Anora beating nine other contenders in the category, including Dune: Part Two, The Brutalist, and Wicked.

Anora follows a New York City sex worker on an unexpected journey. The film dominated the night with five awards.

Lead actress Mikey Madison won Best Actress, while Baker secured wins for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Producer Alex Coco took the stage and expressed his gratitude for the victory. 

He said, "Thank you guys so much. Thank you to the Academy. We made this movie for $6 million, shooting on location in New York City with about 40 crew members. They're all back in New York. This is for you guys. Thank you so much."

"We made it to be independently. If you're trying to make independent films, please keep doing it. We need more. This is proof," Coco added.

Meanwhile, fellow producer Samantha Quan also went on to add, "This is really an incredible, impossible journey since for the past 10 months and honestly, I'd like to thank my mom, my dad and my sister, JoJo."

"To our small but mighty crew and our ridiculously talented cast led by the amazing Mikey Madison. We made this with very little money, but all of our hearts. To all of the dreamers and the young filmmakers out there, tell the stories you wanna tell. Tell the stories that move you. I promise you you will never regret it," Quan stated.

However, director Baker concluded with, "One last thing: I wanna thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film."

"This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists. Long live independent film," Sean Baker added.