Okay, all anyone is talking about is that infamous slap, but the Academy Awards are really about celebrating the art of filmmaking, so let’s focus on that.
Though it was never really likely that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune would win Best Picture, the sci-fi epic did fare well at the 94th annual awards ceremony, earning six Oscars for Production Design, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Visual Effects, and Score.
The statuettes were divided up pretty well between a variety of different projects. CODA landed the top prize, Best Picture, making this the first movie made specifically for a streaming service to win this honor. In another first, Troy Kotsur scored Best Supporting Actor, the first deaf man to win an Oscar in an acting category. CODA also took home Best Adapted Screenplay, as it was based on the French film La Famille Bélier.
In another first, West Side Story‘s Ariana DuBose is the first queer Latina to win Best Supporting Actress.
Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast scored Best Original Screenplay, while Jane Campion won Best Director for Power of the Dog.
In the top acting categories, Jessica Chastain won for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. This was her first win. This picture also won Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Will Smith also won his first Oscar for King Richard, but his award came after he bitch slapped Chris Rock, so… that was awkward.
Encanto won Best Animated Feature, but unfortunately, it didn’t win Best Song. That honor went to Billie Eilish’s “No Time to Die.” That wasn’t a huge shock as that Bond theme has racked up multiple awards. But that wasn’t a big radio hit. Encanto‘s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” became the first Disney movie to hit #1 on the Billboard charts in 29 years and the cast even performed it on the Academy Awards broadcast. But the song wasn’t submitted for Best Song! Disney had to submit a song to be considered a month before Encanto even opened, so the studio chose to submit “Dos Oruguitas,” a song that maaayyybe fits the Oscar style a little better than “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”
But I think HAD “Dos Oruguitas” won, that would have made Lin-Manuel Miranda a rare EGOT. Well… I mean, he’s still got plenty of time to score that title.
Here is the full list of winners:
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
