“And the Oscar Goes to…”
The 97th Academy Awards Recognizes Many Cinematic Masterpieces
On March 2, the 97th Academy Awards, otherwise known as the Oscars, was hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theatre. The Oscars recognize cinematic excellence and achievements, featuring 23 categories and multiple opportunities to receive an honorary award. The ceremony was streamed on ABC, YouTubeTV and, for the first time, live on Hulu.
The categories include Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Production Design, Best Original Song, Best International Feature Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Documentary Feature, Best Original Score, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Animated Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Documentary, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Film Editing and Best Sound. There were many nominees, with 10 in the category for Best Picture, and five in every other category.
“Anora,” a comedy-drama movie, was the most successful of the night, taking home five awards. Mikey Madison, the star of “Anora,” was named best actress, and the director Sean Baker won four awards for the film. This ties him with Walt Disney for the most Academy Awards won by a single person in a year. Baker won Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Director. In other categories, the movie “Flow” won Best Animated Feature, “No Other Land” won Best Documentary Feature and “I’m Still Here” won Best International Feature Film. In acting categories, Adrien Brody was named Best Actor for his role in “The Brutalist,” Kieran Culkin was named Best Supporting Actor for his role in “A Real Pain” and Zoe Saladaña was named Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Emilia Perez,” making her the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Oscar. For Best Adapted Screenplay, Peter Straughan won the award for “Conclave.” Meanwhile, Paul Tazewell won Best Costume Design for his work on “Wicked,” making him the first black man to do so. Additionally, “The Brutalist” won Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects, “Dune: Part Two” won Best Sound and Best Visual Effects and “Emilia Perez” won Best Original song for “El Mal.”
The performance that opened the show featured the Oscar-nominated stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, both of whom performed in “Wicked.” In addition, Morgan Freeman honored Gene Hackman while Whoopie Goldberg, Queen Latifah and Oprah Whinfrey held tribute to Quincy Jones as part of the In Memoriam segment. Furthermore, Lisa of Blackpink, Doja Cat and Raye participated in a tribute to music from the James Bond films. Moreover, the Los Angeles Master Chorale also made an appearance in the show.
Comments