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 years 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 years 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 Chlo 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 years 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 youre unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you.
Check out the list of nominees and winners below.
Best Picture
Belfast
WINNER: CODA
Dont 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
Ciarn 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
Dont 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
Dont 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
Dont 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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