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Zoe Saldana, winner of the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role for “Emilia Perez,” attends the Governors Ball after the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Locher) By Laysha Macedo March 03, 2025 – 12:00 Latinxs in Hollywood are making us proud this awards season. The 2025 Oscars was filled with captivating speeches and historic wins. At the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, Dominican-Puerto Rican actress Zoe Saldaña won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rita Castro in the musical crime film Emilia Pérez —the first Dominicana to take the award home and only the third Latina to win an acting Oscar. In a major win for Brazil , the biographical film I’m Still Here won Best International Film— making history as Brazil’s first Oscar win. Emilia Pérez took home two Oscars after an impressive 13 nominations including Saldaña’s win for her portrayal of Rita, a lawyer tasked with helping the titular Emilia Perez, a cartel boss, retire and fulfill her dream of transitioning to living as a woman. The film stars Karla Sofía Gascón as Pérez (also known as Juan “Manitas” Del Monte), Selena Gomez as Jessi Del Monte, Manitas’s wife and mother of his children, Adriana Paz, and Édgar Ramírez. In addition to Saldaña’s win, the film also won Best Original Song for “El Mal”. Saldaña had previously made history during this awards circuit with her SAG Award win as the first Dominican and second Afro-Latina to win Best Supporting Actress. Additionally, the 46-year-old actress took home her first Golden Globe and became the first Dominican to win in the category. In her emotional Oscars’ acceptance speech, Saldaña celebrated her heritage and recognized her monumental win: “My grandmother came to this country in 1961. I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hardworking hands, and I’m the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last. I hope,” she said. Stay connected! Subscribe now and get the latest on culture, empowerment, and more. SIGN ME UP! This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service . Thank You! You are already subscribed to our newsletter A big win for Brazil came with the Oscar for Best International Film going to I’m Still Here . The now Oscar-winning film is based on a memoir of the same name and follows Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), wife to former leftist Brazilian congressman Rubens Paiva, as she navigates learning the truth when he is taken from the family home during the height of the country’s military dictatorship in 1971. In his acceptance speech, Brazilian director Walter Salles paid homage to Eunice as well as Torres and her mother, iconic Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro, who appears as the older Eunice in the film. “This goes to a woman who after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime decided not to bend and resist. This prize goes to her and it goes to the two extraordinary women who gave life to her,” Salles said. Despite not winning, the other Latinx nominees this year gave memorable and powerful performances. Actor Colman Domingo, of Belizean and Guatemalan heritage, was up for Best Actor for Sing Sing —making history as the first back-to-back Oscar nominee since Denzel Washington. Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres was nominated for Best Actress for I’m Still Here —the role that earned her a Golden Globe. Also up for Best Documentary Short Film was Death by Numbers , a film centering Parkland shooting survivor Samantha Fuentes who also serves as a writer for the film. In this Article Academy Awards boricua brazil Dominicana History made I’m Still Here latina latinx in film Oscars zoe saldaña More on this topic News and Entertainment Trans Woman Estrella Santos-Zacaría Fears Deportation Back to Guatemala February 27, 2025 – 12:12 News and Entertainment Zoe Saldaña Makes History with SAG Awards Win February 25, 2025 – 10:00 News and Entertainment The Dismantling of DEI is Personal and It’s Devastating February 24, 2025 – 16:01 News and Entertainment Ryan Dorsey Speaks on Naya Rivera’s Death & Raising Their Son February 21, 2025 – 16:00
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