'Anora' wins best picture, actress, director, 2 more awards at this year's Oscars

"Anora," Sean Baker’s edgy comedy about an exotic dancer in Brooklyn, emerged as the big winner at the 97th Academy Awards with five Oscars, including best picture, best director for Baker and best actress for Mikey Madison.

Madison thanked the sex work community, as Baker had earlier when he won for best original screenplay. "I will continue to support and be an ally," Madison said.

"The Brutalist" came in second place with three awards, including a second best actor Oscar for Adrien Brody. "Acting is a very fragile profession," Brody said in a lengthy acceptance speech. "But one thing that I’ve gained in having the privilege to come back here, is to have some perspective."

Sunday’s Oscar broadcast capped a tumultuous year for Hollywood, one that saw ups and downs at the box office while the theatrical industry continued to fret about its future in a streaming world. The recent wildfires that devastated so much of Los Angeles were also top of mind at the ceremony. The show kicked off with a montage of Hollywood as seen through several films, from "Chinatown" to "The Big Lebowski." Later, the show’s host — introduced by announcer Nick Offerman as "four-time Oscar viewer Conan O’Brien" — brought out members of Los Angeles-area fire departments for a lengthy standing ovation. O’Brien even let a few of them deliver some jokes.

"Our hearts go out to all of those who have lost their homes," Los Angeles Fire Captain Erik Scott said. "And I’m talking about the producers of 'Joker 2.' "

For his first-ever Oscar hosting gig, O’Brien went the traditional route, launching his opening monologue with a movie-related skit: In a send-up of "The Substance," the 6-foot, 4-inch host emerged from Demi Moore's split-open body, then bounded on stage to poke fun at his famous audience.  Timothée Chalamet, for instance, got ribbed for his youth when O’Brien produced the actor’s old headshot — in reality an in utero ultrasound image. O’Brien’s monologue closed with a musical number that poked fun at the show’s bloated length, "I Won’t Waste Your Time." (Nevertheless, the show ran well over three and a half hours.)

O’Brien took a gamble by joking about Karla Sofía Gascón, the Spanish actress whose Oscar campaign for best actress in the musical "Emilia Pérez" was torpedoed by her politically incorrect social media posts. Gascón showed up at the ceremony and earned supportive applause from the crowd as O’Brien needled her.

"Karla," he told her, "if you are going to tweet about the Oscars, remember — my name is Jimmy Kimmel."

The evening included a handful of historic firsts, and winners were quick to point them out. "I’m the first Black man to win a costume design award," Paul Tazewell said, holding an Oscar for his work on "Wicked." As Zoe Saldaña cradled her Oscar for supporting actress, she described herself as "a proud child of immigrant parents" and said, "I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award and I know I will not be the last." The animated feature "Flow" won Latvia’s first Oscar, and the political drama "I’m Still Here" won Brazil’s first Oscar, for international feature.

Acceptance speeches generally stayed apolitical, though there was no avoiding the Israel-Hamas war when "No Other Land," a feature-length documentary about it, won an Oscar. "We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger," said Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham. He also accused American foreign policy of standing in the way of peace. "Why?" Abraham said. "Can’t you see we are intertwined?"

Overall, the Oscars spread the gold around fairly evenly, though some films may go home feeling slighted. "Conclave," an awards-season favorite, earned only one Oscar, for adapted screenplay. "The Substance," a five-time nominee that seemed well positioned to earn Moore her first-ever Oscar, earned only one award, for makeup and hairstyling. And "Emilia Perez," which went in with a leading 13 nominations, earned only two, including original song for "El Mal."

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com