LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 97th Academy Awards have kicked off at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “Emilia Pérez” leads the pack with 13 Oscar nominations, but “Wicked” and “The Brutalist” are close behind. The 2025 Oscars opened with its biggest musical voices. “Wicked” star Ariana Grande launched into “The Wizard of Oz” classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” following a visual package celebrating the city of Los Angeles.
Here’s a look at some of the winners so far.
Kieran Culkin wins best supporting actor, completing his sweep
Kieran Culkin won the Oscar for best supporting actor Sunday at the 97th Academy Awards, completing a sweep of the category that followed his dominance in television awards last season.
The award, for portraying the chaotic but endearing Benji in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain”, marked his first win and nomination.
Culkin triumphed over nominees Guy Pearce for “The Brutalist,” Edward Norton for “A Complete Unknown,” Yura Borisov for “Anora” and his fellow “Succession” alum Jeremy Strong for “The Apprentice.” The category was one of few with a clear favorite ahead of this year’s ceremony, after Culkin picked up the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Independent Spirit Award, SAG Award and a slew of critics awards earlier this month.
‘Flow’ becomes first Latvian film to win Academy Award for animated feature
“Flow,″ a wordless cat parable, won the Oscar for animated feature at Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards. The win gives Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis his first Academy Award.
“Flow” was made with Blender, a free, open-source graphics software tool using computer generated animation. The result is a dreamy aesthetic paired with a peaceful, yet post-apocalyptic, fable about a black cat, dog, capybara, ring-tailed lemur and secretary bird trying to survive a catastrophic flood. The film has no dialogue and forces viewers to be mesmerized by the unlikely relationship and understanding between the species trying to escape the rising waters.
‘In the Shadow of the Cypress’ wins Oscar for best animated short film
Iranian filmmakers Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi won their first Academy Award for “In the Shadow of the Cypress.” It was the second Iranian animated or live-action short film nominated at the Oscars and the first to win. Animation is often thought of as childlike, fun and creative in nature, but it can also elicit deep emotion: “In the Shadow of the Cypress” takes a creative and artistic approach to the relationship between a father, an old former captain who is dealing with PTSD, and his daughter.
The short also won best animated short at the Los Angeles Shorts International Film Festival.
Developing
The 97th Academy Awards have kicked off — here’s a look at some of the winners.