Indies and outsiders take the spotlight

Anora, made on a tiny budget, bags five Oscars, the most of any movie at the 2025 awards

- John Lui

On Oscar night, it was a time for the underdogs and outsiders to shine.

Anora, the US$6 million (S$8.1 million) indie comedy from independent studio Neon, made for a fraction of the budget of its rivals, was 2025's biggest winner.

Not only did it triumph in the Best Picture, Best Director (for Sean Baker), Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing categories, but its young star Mikey Madison, 25, also took home the Best Actress prize in her first nomination.

Another independent film, the comedy-drama A Real Pain, earned Kieran Culkin his first Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Flow, created by a tiny team based in Riga, Latvia, beat animation giants Pixar (Inside Out 2) and DreamWorks Animation (The Wild Robot) in the Best Animated Feature category.

The Brutalist, an epic period drama made by indie studio A24, snagged three Oscars - Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Actor for Adrien Brody.

Neon, with its five wins for Anora, and A24, with its three wins for The Brutalist, emerged as the leaders among the studios.

It was not the outcome Oscar pundits saw coming. Earlier in 2025, it seemed like Netflix would be the champ on Oscar night because its crime musical Emilia Perez clinched a leading 13 nominations, the most of any film in the race.

Among them was a Best Actress nomination for its star, transgender actress Karla Sofia Gascon.

Many detractors felt the film which follows a Mexican cartel kingpin (Gascon), who fakes his death to transition into a woman did not merit the nominations, in large part due to the way it depicts Mexican culture as stereotypically crime-ridden.

More damning though was how Gascon became mired in controversy.

She was accused of racism after toxic social media posts, apparently made by her, surfaced. Following the revelation, Gascon's media handlers kept her profile low throughout awards season.