The night featured shocks, snubs and lively music performances.
By AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS — arts@theaggie.org
On March 2, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held the 97th Oscars ceremony at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien, the night recognized and highlighted the work of filmmakers, actors and crew behind the scenes of the biggest films of 2024.
Kicking off the night, “Wicked” Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee Cynthia Erivo and Best Actress in a Supporting Role nominee Ariana Grande paid tribute to the original “The Wizard of Oz” film with a medley of songs from the different film adaptations, with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” sung by Grande, “Home” from “The Wiz” sung by Erivo and the “Defying Gravity” duet from the Best Picture-nominated “Wicked” film.
Following their performance, O’Brien gave his opening monologue accompanied by a musical number before the first award was announced. His monologue, featuring sneak references to “Emilia Perez” star Karla Sofia Gascón’s controversy, Amazon’s acquisition of the James Bond franchise and a long bit with Adam Sandler.
The first award of the night, Best Actor in a Supporting Role went to Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain.” After, Best Animated Feature Film went to Latvia’s “Flow,” an independent film produced on an open-source software platform, a large shift for the animation industry. The film was also nominated for Best International Feature Film, a normally unusual occurrence for an animated film. Best Animated Short Film went to “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” an Iranian-made film.
Following this, the ceremony had a special segment for the Best Costume Design, with actors from each film nominated on stage paying tribute to the designers. The winner, Paul Tazewell for “Wicked,” was the first Black man to win the award.
Best Original Screenplay went to “Anora” while Best Adapted Screenplay went to “Conclave.” After winning, “Anora,” an underdog amongst the more-talked-about films such as “Emilia Pérez” and “Wicked,” continued its rise as a contender for “Best Picture.”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling went to “The Substance,” its sole win for the night despite winning Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes. Afterward, the show paid tribute to producers Barbara and Michael Broccoli with a “James Bond” musical montage with singers Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role went to Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez,” the most-nominated film of the night. After, Best Production Design went to “Wicked,” its final win for the night despite being nominated for 10 awards.
Best Original Song went to “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez,” also marking its final win for the night despite being nominated for 13 awards.
Best Documentary Short Film went to “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” and Best Documentary Feature Film went to “No Other Land,” a film that did not have a United States distributor, making the win monumental for independent films. The acceptance speech by directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham, addressed the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, being one of the only political commentaries made during the ceremony.
Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects went to “Dune: Part Two.” During the Best Sound Mixing speech, the work of director Denis Villeneuve was recognized, after some called his lack of nomination for Best Director a snub, despite his film being nominated for Best Picture.
Best Live Action Short Film went to “I’m Not a Robot,” a Dutch-language short film. After, the ceremony paused the awards ceremony for the “In Memoriam” segment.
Best Cinematography and Best Original Score went to “The Brutalist,” also nominated for 10 awards. Best International Feature Film went to “I’m Still Here” from Brazil.
Following this, Queen Latifah performed “Ease on Down the Road” from the film “The Wiz” as a tribute to the late producer Quincy Jones.
In the last 30 minutes of the ceremony, Best Actor in a Leading Role was given to Adrien Brody for “The Brutalist,” his second Oscar. Best Director went to Sean Baker for “Anora,” who advocated for the importance of visiting movie theaters and supporting independent theaters during his speech. Finally, Best Actress in a Leading Role was given to Mikey Madison for “Anora,” her first Oscar nomination and win.
The ceremony concluded with Best Picture being awarded to “Anora.” The film, independently produced for $6 million, won the most awards of the night with five. Surprising for many, the film was not the typical “blockbuster” film, but rather a risque, screwball, semi-romantic comedy that stole the hearts of Academy Award voters. You can view the full list of winners on the official Oscars website.
Written by: Aaliyah Espanol-Rivas —- arts@theaggie.org
