With the 91st Academy Awards just behind us, let’s take a look at the most memorable moments. The following includes a complete list of the winners and the events that made this year’s awards so unique. I made my own predictions of the winners for each category (if I was correct there will be a star next to it). Before the winners are revealed, I hoped to mention the controversy that led up to the awards. To start, the show went without a host for the first time since 1989. Also, the Academy announced just weeks before the awards that they were going to shorten the show to 180 minutes by choosing not to air some of the categories, including Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short and Makeup and Hairstyling. This was met with public outcry, stating that these categories are crucial to the film industry and should not be ignored. The creators of the show decided to go back to presenting all of the awards on screen, effectively making the show over three hours long. (Maybe if they cut some of the commercial breaks, we could resolve this??) However, if they were so worried about the timing of the show, why did they consider adding another category for this year? A few months ago, the Academy announced that they were not going forward with the new category “Most Popular Film,” because what does mean anyway?
After all of these obstacles, the Academy Awards went on! Here are all twenty-four of the results.
Actress in a Supporting Role: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk*
A great way to start off the show with a powerful acceptance speech from the talented Regina King.
Documentary (Feature): Free Solo*
Makeup and Hairstyling: Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney, Vice*
Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney were awarded for their amazing work of transforming Christian Bale into Dick Cheney.
Costume Design: Ruth Carter, Black Panther
Ruth Carter became the first African American woman to win for her incredibly detailed costume work in Black Panther.
Production Design: Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart, Black Panther*
“I did my best and my best is good enough” said Hannah Beachler, who became the first African American nominee and winner for excellence in Production Design
Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma*
Alfonso Cuarón wins his first of three awards of the night. I applaud him for being prepared to give three concise speeches that remained simple yet purposeful and inspiring.
Sound Editing: John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone, Bohemian Rhapsody
Sound Mixing: Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali, Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody takes home both sound categories with a masterful use of both editing and mixing to recreate the world of Queen.
Foreign Language Film: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Roma had the potential of being the first foreign language film (and Netflix film) to win Best Picture, but went home with three awards regardless. We also got to see Alfonso Cuarón’s second speech of the night here.
Film Editing: John Ottman, Bohemian Rhapsody*
Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali, Green Book*
Mahershala Ali wins his second award for his portrayal of Doctor Don Shirley, dedicating the award to his grandmother.
Animated Feature Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s win was not a surprising victory after this film demonstrated the art of animation in a way that truly built and expanded upon the Spider-Man universe.
Short Film (Animated): Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb, Bao*
Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb’s speech was inspirational, dedicating it “To all of the nerdy girls out there who hide behind their sketchbooks,” encouraging them to not be “afraid to tell your story to the world.” This is the first Pixar short to be directed by a woman.
Documentary (Short Subject): Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton, Period. End of Sentence*
Another inspirational speech encouraging the education of people on the fight for menstrual equality from Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton.
Visual Effects: Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm, First Man*
Short Film (Live Action): Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman, Skin*
Writing (Original Screenplay): Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly, Green Book
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman*
Spike Lee finally wins a well-deserved award, giving a victorious speech exclaiming, “Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let’s do the right thing! You know I had to get that in there.”
Music (Original Score): Ludwig Goransson, Black Panther
Music (Original Song): Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt, Shallow*
I think the world would have been very confused if this song was not given its well-deserved award as it became an iconic song even for those who have not seen A Star Is Born. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s performance was one of the highlights of the night.
Actor in a Leading Role: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody*
Rami Malek’s excellent portrayal of Freddie Mercury earned him his first Oscar. What many people did not see was Malek’s fall off the stage after recieving his award!
Actress in a Leading Role: Olivia Colman, The Favourite
This was a very shocking win (in a good way) for many people, including myself. Most assumed this award would have gone to Glenn Close for her performance in The Wife, who holds the record for the woman with the most nominations without winning. Regardless, Colman delivered a joyous acceptance speech for her incredible performance in The Favourite.
Directing: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma*
His third win of the night, Alfonso Cuarón stands alongside several Mexican directors that have won this category. Of the last six years, five of those six Best Director award winners have been Mexican directors. Guillermo del Toro presented the award to Cuarón, joking, “Good, a name I can pronounce!”
Best Picture: Green Book
Green Book was a shocking winner for me, and for many others, as Roma appeared to be a frontrunner all along. Some have called this an upsetting win (read Justin Chang’s opinion on the subject for the Los Angeles Times), due to the way they portray race relations in the film. This film had a very split audience, so what side are you on?
Final Thoughts
I believe that this year’s Academy Awards went well, demonstrating a good amount of inclusivity and several history-making moments. As always, these shows cannot seem to go on without a decision that the majority is not in favor of. The lack of host for the show did not bother me, neither did the length of the show as it included all of the categories. The 91st Academy Awards did not disappoint.