This year’s Oscars were something else; we got a new host, exciting movies lined up for the awards, and, as always, performances between the ceremonies to keep the viewers and audience entertained. Apart from the generic things, the Oscars had the potential to go down in the history books.
However, due to reasons like Oscar snubs and passable performances, it did not turn out to be as great as the previous award ceremonies they had hosted. But this did not stop the Oscars from creating headlines. We saw Adrien Brody win his second Oscar and Sean Baker holding multiple Oscars in his arms in a cradle hold. Other than these notable achievements, some records were broken as well.
In today’s article, we are going to explore all the achievements that happened for the first time in history.
6. Best International Feature win for I’m Still Here
Winning the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film is considered a huge deal for the creators of a film, as it helps to cement the movie’s global impact. The same category has honored movies like Cinema Paradiso and Parasite.
And for this year’s Oscars, the Best International Feature Film Award went to none other than I’m Still Here. The film was nominated for three awards, including Best Female Actress and Best Motion Picture of the Year. You heard that right—it was also nominated for Best Picture, one of the most prominent awards of the night.
By now, you must be wondering what’s record-breaking about the film’s victory. Well, the Portuguese-language film has helped to put Brazil on the map for the first time in Oscar history.
5. Flow becomes the first independent film to win the Best Animated Film Award
Have you ever seen an animated movie and felt like you were stuck in a dream filled with summer vibes—bright and shiny colors, soothing sounds, and the best part—you are surrounded by cute animals? If you haven’t, then Flow is the movie for you to watch right away.
The movie’s animation style and storytelling were so fresh and new that it didn’t even feel like a movie. It’s like watching your older sibling play a video game, and you are just there for the stunning visuals and story while your sibling grinds to progress in the game.
When Flow was finally selected as the Best Animated Film, it felt completely deserving. The Academy made the right decision to credit this movie, which was also surprisingly made by independent creators. Most of the movies to win the Animated Film Award are those made by industry giants like Disney and Pixar, so this was a fresh change to that list. But what is even more interesting is that Flow is also the first Latvian film to win the accolade.
4. Zoe Saldana is the first American of Dominican origin to win an Academy Award
Zoe Saldana secured her Oscar for Best Supporting Female Actress for her role in the film Emilia Perez, a movie that was the frontrunner for Oscar nominations. The film was already filled with controversies, such as stereotyping, and received additional heat due to the insensitive tweets made by lead actor Karla Sofía Gascón.
Despite all this, the Academy did what they felt was right and gave Saldana the accolade for Best Supporting Female Actress. However, what became a moment in history was the fact that the actress was also the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award in any of the acting categories.
During her heartfelt acceptance speech, she said:
“With dreams and dignity and hard-working hands, I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last.”
Her win was not just important to her, but it also set a new milestone for people of Dominican origin.
3. First Black man to win an Oscar for Best Costume Design
In no way would I have imagined multiple singers showing up in Oscar-nominated films like Wicked and Emilia Perez. But that is not the reason why we will be talking about Wicked. Instead, the reason to appreciate the fantasy film is due to the opportunity it gave to a man of color to design the costumes, which would ultimately go on to win an Oscar.
Paul Tazewell was the man behind the costumes for the film, which were one of the main highlights of the production. Later, when he went on to accept the award and gave his speech, he said:
“I am the first Black man to receive the costume design award.”
He sort of became the star of the evening, as the whole crowd gave him a standing ovation. It was great to see the Oscars giving credit where it was due.
2. Adrien Brody becomes the first actor to have a 100% conversion from nominations to wins
When I first heard about the time The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept the Oscars by converting every single nomination into a win, it left me and everyone else in absolute shock. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment, but I was not fortunate enough to see it live. But then Adrien Brody came to the rescue as he became the only person to be nominated for an award and win it both times.
The Brutalist actor only has two Oscar nominations in his life, and he successfully turned both of them into wins. With a 100% win rate, he has made it into the history books as the only person in Oscar history to do so.
1. Sean Baker ties with Walt Disney
The 2025 Oscar Awards were dominated by Sean Baker’s Anora after it won five out of the six nominations. And throughout the boring Oscar ceremony this year, the only person who might have been the most hyped would be Sean Baker.
Not only did his film win the most Oscars, but he himself secured four Oscars, including Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Achievement in Directing, and Best Motion Picture for his film. This was the first time in years that someone had achieved this feat. The last person to do it was the legend Walt Disney, who also secured four Oscars in one night. However, the wins that Disney got were for four separate films, unlike Sean, who did it all with just one movie.
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