A streaming platform making history, a Bond theme doing it again, and that slap: this is a rundown of the winners of this year’s Oscars, and an unforgettable moment on-air.
We’re willing to admit it: last year’s Oscars were a bit weird. Despite Steven Soderbergh at the helm, it was an awkward mix of in-person and Zoom acceptance speeches, with an especially awkward finale. At least Chloé Zhao won.
This year, there’s been a massive shift behind the scenes. Eight categories were punted from the broadcast to try and keep viewers’ attention, and a slew of A-list presenters were charged with handing out awards – including Chris Rock, who got more than he bargained for after making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.
While joking with the audience, Rock said: “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see you.”
She didn’t seem impressed by the joke, at which point Will Smith walked on stage and smacked Rock, before warning him to keep her name ‘out of his f***ing mouth’.
It was a tense altercation that overshadowed the rest of the evening, with momentous wins caught in the fallout of Smith’s slap. Without a doubt, whether it’s next year or two decades from now, it’ll rank as one of the most famous Oscar moments.
Elsewhere, Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli presented the Academy Award for Best Picture, and shared a touching moment onstage together. After a hugely warm reception from the audience, when it came to reading out the prepared lines Minnelli seemed to falter slightly. “Oh yes, now what am I… I don’t understand,” she said. Gaga got things back on track, reminding the audience Minelli is ‘a showbusiness legend’. As the camera then moved to show the nominees, the audience could still hear Gaga’s microphone, catching the heartwarming moment between the pair. “I’ve got you,” Gaga said. To which Liza replied: “I know, thank you.”
That incident aside, let’s move onto the winners. CODA, directed by Sian Heder and released by Apple TV+, took home the biggest prize of the night with Best Picture, beating its main competitor The Power of the Dog (as well as becoming the first streaming platform movie to win the award in Oscars history).
Jane Campion became the third woman to ever win the Best Director Oscar, coming after her first nomination for 1993’s The Piano and Kathryn Bigelow and Chloé Zhao’s wins for The Hurt Locker and Nomadland respectively.
Shortly after slapping Rock, Smith took to the stage once more for his first-ever Best Actor Oscar win for King Richard, beating Andrew Garfield for Tick, Tick… Boom, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog, Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos and Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth.
In the Best Supporting Actor category, Troy Kotsur became the first deaf man to win the award for CODA, beating Ciarán Hinds for Belfast, Jesse Plemons for The Power of the Dog, J.K. Simmons for Being the Ricardos and Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Power of the Dog.
In the Best Actress category, Jessica Chastain won for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, beating Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter, Penélope Cruz for Parallel Mothers, Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos and Kristen Stewart for Spencer.
In the Best Supporting Actress category, Ariana DeBose won for West Side Story, beating Jessie Buckley for The Lost Daughter, Judi Dench for Belfast, Kirsten Dunst for The Power of the Dog and Aunjanue Ellis for King Richard.
For Best Original Screenplay, Belfast beat Don’t Look Up, Licorice Pizza, King Richard and The Worst Person in the World. For Best Adapted Screenplay, CODA won over Drive My Car, Dune, The Power of the Dog and West Side Story.
In the Best Original Score category, Hans Zimmer won for Dune, beating Don’t Look Up, Encanto, Parallel Mothers and The Power of the Dog.
In the Best Original Song category, Billie Eilish and her brother and collaborator Finneas O’Connell won for ‘No Time To Die’, beating DIXSON and Beyoncé for King Richard‘s ‘Be Alive’, Lin-Manuel Miranda for Encanto‘s ‘Dos Oruguitas’, Van Morrison for Belfast‘s ‘Down to Joy’, and Diane Warren for Four Good Days‘ ‘Somehow You Do’.
In the Best Sound category, Dune won over Belfast, No Time To Die, The Power of the Dog and West Side Story.
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For Best Cinematography, Dune also beat Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of Macbeth and West Side Story. Dune took home Best Editing, beating Don’t Look Up, The Power of the Dog, King Richard and Tick, Tick… Boom.
Adding to its technical haul, Dune won Best Production Design, up against Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of Macbeth and West Side Story. Dune also won Best Visual Effects, keeping Spider-Man: No Way Home from following through on its only nomination, also beating Free Guy, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and No Time to Die.
For Best Costume Design, Cruella won over Cyrano, Dune, Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. For Best Makeup and Hairstyling, The Eyes of Tammy Faye won over Coming 2 America, Cruella, Dune and House of Gucci.
Encanto won Best Animated Feature, beating Flee, Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon. The Windshield Wiper took home Best Animated Short, beating Affairs of the Art, Bestia, Boxballet and Robin Robin.
Drive My Car won Best International Feature, beating Flee, The Hand of God, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom and The Worst Person in the World.
In the Best Documentary Feature category, Summer of Soul beat Ascension, Attica, Flee and Writing With Fire.
In the Best Documentary Short category, The Queen of Basketball beat Audible, Lead Me Home, Three Songs for Benazir and When We Were Bullies. The Long Goodbye won Best Live-Action Short, beating Ala Kachuu – Take and Run, The Dress, On My Mind and Please Hold.
Dune won the most awards of the night, taking home a total of six Oscars.
There’s also the fan-voted categories: Most Cheer-Worthy Moment went to The Flash’s speed force scene in Zack Snyder’s Justice League; and the overall fan-favourite award went to Snyder’s Army of the Dead.
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