The Oscars returned with an interesting night in Hollywood with some of the biggest stars in the movie industry and a rather intriguing interaction between two celebrities.
With the pre-pandemic rolling in, the 94th Academy Awards finally arrived at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater; now allowing their halls to be filled with people after 2 years of silence because of the pandemics. Here’s what happened!
Introduced by DJ Khaled, this time the Oscars were hosted by Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall as they excitedly announced the beginning of the Oscars ceremony. “This year the Academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man,” Schumer joked.
Now bouncing to the awards, the first award at the 2022 Oscars was given to Ariana DeBose as the best actress in a supporting role for Anita in West Side Story. She became the first Afro-Latina and openly LGBTQ actor to win in the category, while Troy Kotsur became the first deaf actor to achieve an acting award for the supporting role for Frank Rossi in CODA.
They both gave a heartwarming speech, Kotsur’s speech being the story of his father (who is also deaf) getting into an accident, causing paralysis and making him unable to use sign language to communicate. While DeBosed spoke out to all in the LGBTQ community, “To anybody who has ever questioned your identity,” she said, “I promise you there is a place for us.”
Coda snatched the coveted Best Picture award from Dune, the movie that won 6 Oscar awards out of the 10 nominations. Coda became the first-ever movie from a streaming service to be handed Hollywood’s top award.
Will Smith became the talk of the 2022 Oscars after slapping Christ Rock for cracking a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. “Leave my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth” shouted twice by Smith as he returned to his seats. Shortly after the commercial break followed by the heated interaction, Smith accepted the Best Actor award for King Richard after giving an apology for his rash decision.
The Best Actress award was handed to Jessica Chastain for her empathetic portrayal of Tammy Faye in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, a movie she also produced.
A section of the broadcast was filled with a moment of silence for Ukraine’s struggles against Russia for those who were seeking refuge from them.
Film-maker Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog won the most film awards of this year, having 12. Being the third woman to achieve Best Director, it’s also worth noting that this would be the first back-to-back Best Director award, after Chloe Zhao won the category for her film Nomadland.
This year’s Oscars came with a bang after the limits of the pandemic. It was an exciting moment for all audiences, especially when Smith slapped Rock. Many awards broke records never met before in all the previous 93 Academy Awards.
Here is the full list of winners for the 94th annual Academy Awards:
Best Picture: “CODA”
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Best Actor: Will Smith, “King Richard”
Best Director: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Original Song: “No Time to Die”
Best Documentary Feature: “Summer of Soul”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “CODA”
Best Original Screenplay: “Belfast”
Best Costume Design: “Cruella”
Best International Feature: “Drive My Car”
Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Best Animated Feature: “Encanto”
Best Visual Effects: “Dune”
Best Cinematography: “Dune”
Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Best Film Editing: “Dune”
Best Score: “Dune”
Best Sound: “Dune”
Best Production Design: “Dune”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Best Documentary (Short Subject): “The Queen of Basketball”
Best Short (Animated): “The Windshield Wiper”
Best Short Film (Live Action): “The Long Goodbye”
