The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the list of 2025 Technical Oscar winners in Los Angeles. This year, 14 prestigious awards will be handed out, including one to Transylvanian-Hungarian expert Attila Tamás Áfra, who has earned the honor for the second time since 2021. – Los Angeles, Virág Vida
On Monday, January 27, the Academy announced that this year, 14 scientific and technical achievements, along with 37 additional recipients, will be recognized at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which frequently hosts many official Oscar events. The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in the significant building in Los Angeles. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang stated, “The awardees are exemplars of innovation, significantly advancing the art and science of motion pictures.”
Among this year’s honorees is Transylvanian-Hungarian developer Attila Tamás Áfra. The software engineer, born in Satu Mare and an alumnus of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at Babeș–Bolyai University, is being recognized in 2025 for the creation of Intel Open Image Denoise. This open-source library has greatly improved the quality of computer-generated imagery. Áfra is no stranger to this honor, having already received a Scientific and Technical Oscar in 2021.
In addition to Áfra’s already confirmed Oscar win, there is excitement surrounding editor Dávid Jancsó, who has earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Adrien Brody’s latest film, The Brutalist. The awards ceremony for the main categories will take place in early March at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
This year’s recognized achievements include breakthroughs in fire stunt safety, motion stabilization, dialogue recording, and CG image creation. Highlights among the honorees are:
- Essex Edwards, James Jacobs, and Jernej Barbic for Ziva VFX, a tool for the realistic simulation of digital characters.
- Javor Kalojanov and Kimball Thurston for the Wētā FX ML Denoiser, which enhances computer-generated imagery.
- Neeme Vaino for Fireskin360 Naked Burn Gel, expanding possibilities for fire stunts.
- Tabb Firchau and his team for the Freefly Systems Mōvi gimbals, enabling complex camera movements.
The full list of honorees is available at oscars.org.
– Virág Vida –
