An independent film took centre stage at last night’s Oscars as the biggest stars in Hollywood came out to celebrate the best of cinema in the past year.

In what turned out to be a near-sweep, Anora eased its way to a memorable five wins, including the prestigious Best Picture accolade as well as a record-breaking feat for filmmaker Sean Baker.

The dark comedy, which centres on a feisty sex worker and her whirlwind romance with the son of a wealthy Russian businessman, prevailed in a strong category that also included the likes of The Brutalist, Conclave and Wicked.

In a highly-competitive Best Actress race, 25-year-old Mikey Madison held off competition from Demi Moore (The Substance) to clinch the gong for her sublime performance as the film’s leading character, Anora “Ani” Mikheeva.

During her acceptance speech, the Los Angeles-born starlet described her win as a “dream come true” and added:

“I want to honour and recognise the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally… the women I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this entire incredible experience.”

In the case of Baker, the versatile auteur made history by becoming the first person to win FOUR Academy Awards for a single film.

As well as producing Anora, he also took home Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing and went on to thank the Academy voters for “recognising a truly independent film”.

Elsewhere, the postwar epic The Brutalist secured three wins on the night, including a second Best Actor triumph for leading man Adrien Brody as Hungarian architect László Tóth.

Having previously won the same award over twenty years earlier for The Pianist (2002), the New York star gave a lengthy yet stirring speech in which he said:

“I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and repercussions of war, and systematic oppression, and antisemitism and racism.

“And I pray for a healthier, happier and more inclusive world. And I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”

On top of Brody’s victory, The Brutalist also scored two British wins for cinematographer Lol Crawley and Best Original Score for composer Daniel Blumberg.

Meanwhile, an emotional Zoe Saldaña clinched Best Supporting Actress for her lauded turn as high-powered lawyer Rita Mora Castro in the divisive crime musical Emilia Pérez.

Having swept other major awards, including the Golden Globes and EE BAFTAs, Saldaña thanked the Academy for “recognising the quiet heroism of her character” and for “being a proud child of immigrant parents”.

Despite coming into last night’s ceremony with a formidable thirteen nominations, Emilia Pérez massively underperformed, with just one additional win coming in the Best Original Song field for the blistering track “El Mal”.

On top of losing the likes of Best Picture and Best Director, the film also missed out on the Best International Feature accolade, which went to the fact-based Brazilian drama I’m Still Here.

With Zoe Saldaña dominating this year’s Supporting Actress race, there was also an inevitable outcome in the Best Supporting Actor category, as Kieran Culkin won for his performance as troubled loner Benji in the indie comedy A Real Pain.

The former Succession star, who also dominated his own acting field throughout awards season, thanked the film’s writer and director Jesse Eisenberg, telling him:

“Thank you for this movie, you’re a genius. I’d never say that to your face, I’ll never say it again, so soak it up.”

Having garnered crucial wins at the BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards, the papal thriller Conclave fell short of major recognition, with just one win coming for British screenwriter Peter Straughan as he took home Best Adapted Screenplay.

Elsewhere, Paul Tazewell made history by becoming the first black man to win Best Costume Design for his work on the hit fantasy musical Wicked, which also prevailed in the Best Production Design field.

Fellow blockbuster Dune: Part Two also enjoyed double success by landing Best Sound and Best Visual Effects, while the horror satire The Substance comfortably won Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

There was joy for Latvia as the animal-based animation Flow saw off the likes of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and The Wild Robot to win Best Animated Film, while the Best Documentary prize was awarded to No Other Land, a collaboration between Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers about the ongoing conflict in the region.

The other films to taste victory on the night were I’m Not a Robot (Best Short Film – Live Action), The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Best Documentary – Short) and In the Shadow of the Cypress (Best Short Film – Animated).

On what proved to be an eventful evening for many, laughs were provided by Conan O’Brien in a long-overdue first stint as Oscars host.

The US chat show host and podcaster received stellar praise for his witty performance, in which he made edgy jokes about Vladimir Putin, Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón and the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud.

The ceremony also provided further entertainment that included a James Bond tribute as well as a stunning Wicked medley performed by the film’s central stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

However, it was a night to forget for A Complete Unknown as the Bob Dylan-based film walked away empty-handed from eight nominations while the likes of Nickel Boys, Nosferatu, Sing Sing, and The Wild Robot also missed out on recognition.

The full list of Oscar winners are…

BEST PICTURE
ANORA

BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker, ANORA

BEST ACTRESS
Mikey Madison, ANORA

BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody, THE BRUTALIST

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Zoe Saldaña, EMILIA PÉREZ

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kieran Culkin, A REAL PAIN

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CONCLAVE (Peter Straughan)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
ANORA (Sean Baker)

BEST EDITING
ANORA

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE BRUTALIST

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
WICKED

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WICKED

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
THE SUBSTANCE

BEST SOUND
DUNE: PART TWO

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
DUNE: PART TWO

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
THE BRUTALIST (Daniel Blumberg)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
EMILIA PÉREZ (“El Mal”)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
FLOW

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
I’M STILL HERE (Brazil)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
NO OTHER LAND

BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA

BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
I’M NOT A ROBOT

BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS