On March 12, 2023, Hollywood’s biggest night, the 95th annual Oscars, took place. The beginning of the show was questionable with the order of presented awards changing before the ceremony started.
The best animated film award went to Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, with his main statement being what he has iterated for the past few years: animation is cinema, not a genre. Best supporting actor went to Ke Huy Quan for his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, where he gave an emotional speech encouraging people not to give up on their dreams and that it’s not too late. However, the happy mood was quickly soured when Jamie Lee Curtis won best supporting actress over Angela Bassett for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Stephanie Hsu for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Navalny won for best feature documentary. The director and Navalny’s wife both gave moving talks about the imprisoned Russian opposition leader.
Other notable categories such as best original song went to “Naatu Naatu” from RRR; best costume design went to Ruth Carter for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and best score went to Volker Bertelmann for All Quiet On the Western Front.
The performances throughout the night were moving and beautiful, each showcasing the beauty of the film they were from. The main attraction of the night was the big three: best leading actor, best leading actress, and best picture. After his tumultuous relationship with Hollywood, Brenden Fraser won best lead actor for his role in The Whale. Michelle Yeoh won best actress for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once with the night being rounded off with Everything Everywhere All At Once winning best picture. In total the film walked away with seven awards out of eleven nominations. All Quiet On The Western Front walked away with four awards.
History was made tonight on many occasions. Ruth Carter became the first black woman to ever win multiple awards in any category. A24 is the first studio to ever win every major category in one year. Michelle Yeoh is the second woman of color to ever win best actress. Finally, Everything Everywhere All At Once is the most awarded best picture since Slumdog Millionaire.
