Three hosts, plenty of history-making awards and one shocking slap: so goes the story of the undeniably chaotic 94th annual Academy Awards .
Largely returning to its pre-pandemic form at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles after last year’s sized-down show, the 2022 ceremony aired on Sunday night and brought a protracted and strange award season to a messy finish.
In an attempt to attract more eyeballs to the festivities after record-low ratings, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences instituted a variety of controversial changes for this year’s telecast adding two fan-voted races and demoting eight below-the-line and short film categories to a preshow presentation — which drew significant ire within the industry.
But it was the unexpected moments that will surely cause all the conversation, most notably Will Smith smacking presenter Chris Rock on stage over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith moments before winning the Best Actor trophy.
Still, there was plenty of drama to be had when it came to the onscreen contenders. Apple TV+’s feel good dramedy “CODA” about a deaf family and their hearing daughter took home the Best Picture trophy in a watershed moment for disability representation in Hollywood.
Netflix ’s tense (and yes, Sam Elliott, queer ) Western “The Power of the Dog” was at one point a clear front-runner to win the coveted prize, which would have given the streaming service a long-awaited trophy in the category after years of near misses. But in recent weeks, “CODA” pulled ahead in the betting after scoring top honors at the Producers Guild and Screen Actors Guild Awards, ultimately becoming the first film from a streaming service to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
“The Power of the Dog” still managed to make an impact with Jane Campion picking up the Best Director prize, becoming the third woman to win the award, following Chloé Zhao in 2021 and Kathryn Bigelow in 2010.
The show will indeed go down in the history books for some major milestones. The supporting actor and actress wins were especially noteworthy, with “West Side Story” star Ariana DeBose becoming the first openly LGBTQ performer of color to take home an acting Oscar, while Troy Kotsur of “CODA” is now the first deaf man to win an acting trophy from the Academy.
Somehow, COVID-19 protocols were among the least controversial elements of the broadcast. This year’s attendees were required to show proof of vaccination and at least two negative PCR tests, while performers and presenters only needed to undergo testing. Nominee and potential EGOT winner Lin-Manuel Miranda was the only notable no-show after he pulled out of the ceremony over an abundance of caution due to his wife testing positive for COVID.
For the first time since 2018, the chaos was managed by official Oscars hosts, with comedians Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer overseeing the proceedings. The trio appeared throughout the ceremony to infuse some fun into the show by openly roasting and thirsting after the A-list attendees.
In between the jokes, there were also several mentions of current global events including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine with the ceremony holding a 30-second moment of silence in a show of support. Toward the end of the ceremony, Jessica Chastain also spotlighted LGBTQ youth in her Best Actress acceptance speech, encouraging all those watching at home to “know that you’re unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you.”
Check out the list of nominees and winners below.
Best Picture
“Belfast”
WINNER: “CODA”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Drive My Car”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”
Best Director
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
WINNER: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”
Best Actor
Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick... Boom!”
WINNER: Will Smith, “King Richard”
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Best Actress
WINNER: Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”
Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”
Best Supporting Actor
Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast”
WINNER: Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”
JK Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
WINNER: Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Judi Dench, “Belfast”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”
Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: “CODA,” Sian Heder
“Drive My Car,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
“Dune,” Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
“The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal
“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion
Best Original Screenplay
WINNER: “Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh
“Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay, Story by McKay and David Sirota
“King Richard,” Zack Baylin
“Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Worst Person in the World,” Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier
Best Animated Feature
WINNER: “Encanto”
“Flee”
“Luca”
“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
“Raya and the Last Dragon”
Best Animated Short
“Affairs of the Art”
“Bestia”
“Boxballet”
“Robin Robin”
WINNER: “The Windshield Wiper”
Best Live Action Short
“Ala Kachuu- Take and Run”
“The Dress”
WINNER: “The Long Goodbye”
“On My Mind”
“Please Hold”
Best Cinematography
WINNER: “Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”
Best Costume Design
WINNER: “Cruella”
“Cyrano”
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“West Side Story”
Best Documentary Feature
“Ascension”
“Attica”
“Flee”
WINNER: “Summer of Soul”
“Writing with Fire”
Best Documentary Short Subject
“Audible”
“Lead Me Home”
WINNER: “The Queen of Basketball”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Were Bullies”
Best Editing
“Don’t Look Up”
WINNER: “Dune”
“King Richard”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Tick, Tick... Boom!”
Best International Feature Film
WINNER: “Drive My Car”
“Flee”
“The Hand of God”
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
“The Worst Person in the World”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Coming 2 America”
“Cruella”
“Dune”
WINNER: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
“House of Gucci”
Best Production Design
WINNER: “Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”
Best Original Score
“Don’t Look Up”
WINNER: “Dune”
“Encanto”
“Parallel Mothers”
“The Power of the Dog”
Best Original Song
“Be Alive” from “King Richard”
“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto”
“Down to Joy” from “Belfast”
WINNER: “No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die”
“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”
Best Sound
“Belfast”
WINNER: “Dune”
“No Time to Die”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”
Best Visual Effects
WINNER: “Dune”
“Free Guy”
“No Time to Die”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”
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