The 2025 Oscars just took place and the event was one to remember. Many important films were given recognition, with many winning awards alongside their actors. The Oscars are viewed as one of the most prestigious ceremonies in cinematic history, and to be bestowed one of these awards is a great honor for any individual in the film industry. As the award show went smoothly this year, many new achievements happened, some being the first in Oscars history. Here are the most significant moments of the 2025 Oscars.
1. First Black Man Wins For Best Costume DesignÂ
As Wicked took over with their strong advertising campaign, the film lived up to the expectations set. The movie was visually pleasing with great editing and wardrobe choices, highlighting the musical’s other aspects. Costume designer Paul Tazewell’s work was rightfully acknowledged as he won the Oscar in this category. Tazewell made history as the first black man to win the award, giving it much more importance and glory.
2. Recognition Of The Horror GenreÂ
Horror is a genre that entails much hard work from all involved, and historically has not received its flowers. The Oscars nominations of The Substance, a body horror film starring Demi Moore, holds some significance. As this was a breakthrough, the lack of awards won does continue to show some prejudice. The Substance leaving the Oscars with one win for Best Makeup and Hairstyling is still a win and a step forward.
3. Acknowledgment Of International Issues
The documentary categories in the Oscars hold much influence as the nominations and final voting choice can help highlight important subjects of worthy discussion. While other well executed documentaries were nominated, the work No Other Land took home the Oscar. The film called attention to the ethnic cleansing conflict in Gaza and was made by many activists and journalists of Palestinian and Israeli descent. With the acceptance speeches by two of the filmmakers and No Other Land starting to screen locally in many states, the win has already shown an immediate impact as an informant.
4. First Gen Z Oscar Win
The Oscars have a history of rewarding wins to actors who have great status in film alongside years of work in the industry. This has made the notion of winning Oscars for younger actors a hard task, and much more rare. Mikey Madison made history being the first Gen Z actor and first actor born in the 90s to win the award. Madison left the ceremony with Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Anora, a film about the humanity of sex workers, written and directed by renowned director Sean Baker. With Madison’s win, not only has the story of many have more recognition, it opens the door for a new generation of actors being able to receive the prestigious award.Â
5. Indie Film AppreciationÂ
As the Oscars have their patterns, a great one is the past preference of mainstream films with big budgets. Yet starting with Moonlight in 2017, the Academy started to highlight and award independent film companies more often. Small budget films such as Anora and A Real Pain winning Oscars in big categories shows this appreciation in 2025. With Sean Baker leaving the ceremony with four wins for the same film for the first time in Oscar history, the respect given to directors of his stature continues to grow.Â
As the award show season officially ends with the Oscars, film lovers have seen a great number of motion pictures receive proper accords that acknowledge the hard work of the many people involved in their creations. But with such events, many were snubbed and didn’t receive the recognition they deserved. As the Oscars continue to change with current times, the award’s meaning stays the same to many: one of the greatest prizes in film. Alongside the rapid change in the industry, we will continue to see the Oscars adjust accordingly, with many more awards to give out in the future.