We waited months to find out which films and talent would win this topsy-turvy Oscar season, and now that all the winners have been crowned—led by Anora, with Sean Baker’s record-tying four wins and Mikey Madison’s surprise triumph in best actress—there’s a tendency to want to put this whole crazy thing behind us and move on.
I’m Rebecca Ford, and before closing the book on this season, I’ve been thinking about the lasting lessons we’ve learned from this go-round. We know that for talent like Madison, an Oscar win will be life-changing; I can’t wait to see what she does next. The same could be said for several nominees, like Ariana Grande and Monica Barbaro, who will now be able to use their nominations to get bigger and more interesting roles.
But more importantly, how will the results of this year’s Oscarsaffect the industry moving forward? A big question for me is how Baker’s message in support of both independent film and theatrical releases will sit with Hollywood. When he was extolling their virtues, he was speaking before executives of streaming companies who probably didn’t love the focus on theatrical distribution. And the independent-film industry has been suffering severely for years now—will Baker’s words have any impact there? I assume that Baker himself, at least, will keep making independent movies even if other offers come his way.
A key lesson I’ve learned is that the more international makeup of the Academy is going to affect the Oscars from now on. I would never have predicted that Flow, a small Latvian animated film, would beat Universal’s The Wild Robot.That’s in part because in every room I was in all season, The Wild Robot always got the biggest applause of any animated film. That was the case even during the Oscars! But the Academy’s voting body is no longer centered in Hollywood—the nomination for I’m Still Here in best picture and the nod for Fernanda Torres in best actress both speak to that as well. So for awards strategists, it has become even more vital to figure out how a film is faring with voters abroad. I find this more diverse and global voting body exciting, providing the opportunity to elevate films that might not have had as much of a chance with the old Hollywood.
I think we’ll be seeing the effect of this international voting body even more in the years to come. Speaking of which: If you’re ready to turn the page and look ahead, we made our wildly early Oscar predictions for the 2026 show over on Little Gold Men this week. To us, the future looks bright.
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