Race dominated the Academy Awards in 2016. This year, the Oscars are once again about race but also about women, Donald Trump, immigration, the US-Mexican wall, the White House curbs on the press, and the ban on travel into the USA for citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The diversity of themes and Hollywood’s combative mood are reflected not only in the nine films nominated for Best Picture, but also in the other categories that matter.
Damien Chazelle’s musical La La Land leads the nominations with mentions in a staggering 14 categories, making it the third most nominated movie along with All About Eve (1950) and Titanic (1997). Barry Jenkins’s coming-of-age tale Moonlight has eight nominations, including for best picture, direction and adapted screenplay. Mel Gibson’s World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge has six nods, as does Lion and Manchester by the Sea.
The Academy Awards started with a fabulous performance by Justin Timberlake singing the Oscar-nominated Can’t Stop The Feeling from Trolls that had everybody in the Kodak Theater dancing in the aisles (the Zingaat effect anyone?)
Here are the winners.
Best Picture
Who won: Moonlight.
Who else was nominated: Arrival, Fences, La La Land, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, Manchester by the Sea and Lion.
The biggest award of the night went to Moonlight rather than La La Land after a ridiculous mix-up that gave the award to La La Land. That takes up the count of Damien Chazelle’s critical and crowd favourite to six Oscars and three for Barry Jenkins’s film.
The mix-up was because presenter Warren Beatty mixed up the names. (He is probably never going to be invited on the stage again.) At least, that is what he said. Staged or not, the moment ensured that anybody who had ignored the Oscars over its four hours-plus running time finally began to pay attention in the ceremony’s dying minutes.
Actress in a Leading Role
Who won: Emma Stone for La La Land.
Who else was nominated: Isabelle Huppert for Elle, Ruth Negga for Loving, Natalie Portman for Jackie, and Meryl Streep for Florence Foster Jenkins.
The least surprising award of the night, its lustre only slightly dimmed by the absence of Amy Adams for Arrival. In La La Land, Emma Stone is the embodiment of Mia, the actress who must choose between love and career. “This is a huge confluence of luck and opportunity”, Stone said while thanking director Damien Chazelle in her speech. “I still have a lot of growing and learning and work to do and this guy [the Oscar] is a really beautiful symbol to continue on that journey and I am so grateful for that.”
Actor in a Leading Role
Who won: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea.
Who else was nominated: Denzel Washington for Fences, Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge, Ryan Gosling for La La Land and Viggo Mortensen for Captain Fantastic.
Affleck beat the punters’ favourite, Denzel Washington. He overcame allegations of sexual assault to impress the Oscar jurors with his portrayal of a grieving father who tries to take control of his life.
Best Director
Who won: Damien Chazelle for La La Land.
Chazelle is 32 years old and is the youngest winner in the history of the awards. The filmmaker made his debut with Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench in 2009 and burst into fame with the Oscar-nominated Whiplash in 2014. He will return to that stage many times in his career.
Who else was nominated: Denis Villeneuve for Arrival, Mel Gibson for Hacksaw Ridge, Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea, Barry Jenkins for Moonlight.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Who won: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight.
Who else was nominated: Eric Heisserer for Arrival, August Wilson for Fences, Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi for Hidden Figures, Luke Davies for Lion and Barry Jenkins for Moonlight.
Based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, Moonlight is a coming of age drama of a young black boy growing in Miami. The screenplay is divided into three chapters, each of which map the journey of Little to Chiron and explore love, absence, the quest for identity, and sexual longing.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Who won: Manchester by the Sea by Kenneth Lonergan.
Who else was nominated: Taylor Sheridan for Hell or High Water, Damien Chazelle for La La Land, Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for The Lobster and Mike Mills for Twentieth Century Women.
The downbeat and yet moving study of American masculinity is told through a handyman who is saddled with his recalcitrant nephew after his brother’s death. Lee (Casey Affleck) is still battling the aftermath of the death of his three children in a fire and the subsequent divorce from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams). Longernan has written plays as well as the screenplays for his films, including You Can Count On Me (1999) and Margaret (2011).
Ben Affleck (Casey’s brother) and Matt Damon gave the award to Lonergan, who thanked “Casey Affleck, Casey Affleck, Casey Affleck.”
Presenter Jennifer Anniston is paying tribute to the legends who died during the past year, including a mention for Bill Paxton. The list includes Om Puri, Gene Wilder, Carrie Fisher, John Hurt, Paul Sylbert, Michael Cimino, Andrzej Wajda, Emmanuelle Riva and Garry Marshall.
Music (Original Song)
Who won: City of Stars from La La Land (music by Justin Hurwitz; lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul).
No surprises here – snatches of the song first featured in the first trailer of Damien Chazelle’s critically lauded film, and it became an earworm within seconds.
Who else was nominated: Audition: The Fools Who Dream, La La Land (music by Justin Hurwitz; lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul), Can’t Stop the Feeling from Trolls (music and lyrics by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster), The Empty Chair from Jim: The James Foley Story (music and lyrics by J Ralph and Sting) and How Far I’ll Go from Moana (music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda).
Music (Original Score)
Who won: Justin Hurwitz for La La Land.
La La Land continues its dream run. This is the third Oscar for the film.
Who else was nominated: Mica Levi for Jackie, Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka for Lion, Nicholas Britell for Moonlight and Thomas Newman for Passengers.
The performance of the Oscar-nominated City of Stars from La La Land provides a moment to sum up the events thus far. The wins are exactly as the punters predicted, with La La Land steadily stacking up the gongs. Hollywood has shown its bejewelled middle finger to the Trump presidency, right from the red carpet all the way until the end of the ceremony. In speech after speech, winners and presenters are emphasising the role of art in society, the importance of protest, and the need to stand up against the establishment. Heart-warming stuff, aimed as much at domestic viewers as at the event’s global viewership.
Cinematography
Who won: Linus Sandgren for La La Land.
One more Oscar for La La Land. It now ties with Hacksaw Ridge. “I’m so happy, I love you, man,” Sandgren told La La Land director Damien Chazelle in his speech.
Who else was nominated: Bradford Young for Arrival, Greig Fraser for Lion, Rodrigo Prieto for Silence and James Laxton for Moonlight.
“Donald Trump hasn’t tweeted even once”, complains Jimmy Kimmel, who is doing a good job of keeping the banter flowing.
Short Film (Live Action)
Who won: Kristof Deak for Sing.
Who else was nominated: Selim Azzazzi for Ennemis Interieurs, Timo von Gunten for La Femme et le TGV, Aske Bang for Silent Nights and Juanjo Gimenez for Timecode.
Documentary (short subject)
Who won:The White Helmets by Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara.
The Netflix production about professionals who rescue victims of injury and bombardment in Syria has been optioned by actor and producer George Clooney for a feature film. “Please stand up and remind them that we all care that the [Syria] war end as quickly as possible,” von Einsiedel said.
Who else was nominated: Extremis by Dan Krauss, 4.1 Miles by Daphne Matziaraki, Joe’s Violin by Kahane Cooperman and Raphaela Neihausen and Watani: My Homeland by Marcel Mettelsiefen and Stephen Ellis.
Sunny Pawar is clearly the new Sabu of Hollywood. After the red carpet love, he gets a meme-worthy moment with host Jimmy Kimmel.
Film Editing
Who won: John Gilbert for Hacksaw Ridge.
Is Mel Gibson’s World War II drama emerging as a dark horse? Or will it be the Mad Max: Fury Road of the year – the winner in technical departments but a loser on the creative side?
Who was nominated: Joe Walker for Arrival, Tom Cross for La La Land, Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon for Moonlight, Jake Roberts for Hell or High Water.
Visual Effects
Who won: The Jungle Book.
Finally, an Indian connection at the Oscars. The fabulous visual effects team for The Jungle Book movie created an entire central Indian forest along with its wildlife on studio lots in Hollywood.
Who else was nominated: Deepwater Horizon, Doctor Strange, Kubo and the Two Strings, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Production Design
Who won: David Wasco and Sandy Reylonds-Wasco for La La Land.
The production design and sets, which create the impression of a make-believe Los Angeles within the real one, is one of La La Land’s many charms.
It’s the first Oscar of the night for a movie that has 14 nominations. Have the Academy jurors kept the weightier trophies for the movie that is tipped to win, at the very least, best picture and director?
Who else was nominated: Patrick Vermette (production design) and Paul Hotte (set design) for Arrival, Stuart Craig and Anna Pinnock for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh for Hail, Ceasar!, , Guy Hendrix Dias and Gene Serdena for Passengers.
Animation
Who won: Zootopia, directed by Bryan Howard and Rich Moore.
Who else was nominated: Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini, The Red Turtle.
A winning contemporary take on Aesop’s Fables, Zootopia embraces diversity, migration and female empowerment through the story of a highly energised bunny Judy (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) who wants to be a police officer.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Who won: Mahershala Ali for Moonlight.
In Moonlight, Mahershala Ali plays a drug dealer who becomes the surrogate father of a tortured young boy who is beginning to realise that he is gay. Ali has been in television shows such as The 4400 and Luke Cage apart from playing bit parts in several films, including Predators and Boggs in the concluding part of the Hunger Games franchise. With Moonlight and Hidden Figures, in which he plays a dashing Army officer, Ali is suddenly everywhere. Expect a Best Actor nomination in the next few years.
Who else was nominated: Michael Shannon for Nocturnal Animals, Jeff Bridges for Hell or High Water, Lucas Hedges for Manchester by the Sea, and Dev Patel for Lion.
Makeup and Hairstyling
Who won: Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson for Suicide Squad.
Who else was nominated: Eva von Bahr and Love Larson for A Man Called Ove, Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo for Star Trek Beyond.
Costume Design
Who won: Colleen Atwood for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Who else was nominated: Madeline Fontaine for Jackie, Consolata Boyle for Florence Foster Jenkins, Mary Zophres for La La Land, and Joanna Johnston for Allied.
Documentary (Feature)
Who won: OJ: Made in America by Ezra Edelman.
Race, celebrity, murder and the American legal system come together in Edelman’s OJ: Made in America, originally filmed as a five-part mini-series for ESPN Films.
Who else was nominated: Fire at Sea by Gianfranco Rosi, I Am Not Your Negro by Raoul Peck, Life, Animated by Roger Ross Williams and 13th by Ava DuVernay.
Sound Editing
Who won: Sylvain Bellemare for Arrival.
Who else was nominated: Hacksaw Ridge, Deepwater Horizon, La La Land, Sully.
Sound Mixing
Who won: Hacksaw Ridge (Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace).
Who else was nominated: Arrival, La La Land, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
Mel Gibson’s World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge is about a pacifist combat medic (played by Andred Garfield) who, in keeping with his Seventh-day Adventist Church membership, becomes a conscientious objector on the battlefield and refused to carry or use a weapon.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Who won: Viola Davis for Fences.
Viola Davis was the favourite in a category that had other strong competitors, even though she has played the same role in the play on which Fences is based. The 51-year-old actress’s late-career upsurge after years in television and on the stage started with Doubt (2008), in which she plays the mother of a teenager suspected of being in a relationship with a priest. Since then, Davis has been a fixture in prestige productions (The Help) and Hollywood action films (Suicide Squad).
Davis’s stirring and teary-eyed speech is for the history books: “There’s one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered – one place – and that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, what kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say, exhume those bodies. Exhume those stories. The stories of the people who dreamed, big, and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost. I became an artist and thank god I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.”
Who else was nominated: Naomie Harris for Moonlight, Nicole Kidman for Lion, Octavia Spencer for Hidden Figures and Michelle Williams for Manchester by the Sea.
Foreign Language Film
Who won: The Salesman (Iran), directed by Asghar Farhadi.
Who else was nominated: Toni Erdmann (Germany) by Maren Ade, Land of Mine (Denmark) by Martin Zandvliet, A Man Called Ove (Sweden) by Hannes Holm, Tanna (Australia) by Bentley Dean and Martin Butler.
In Farhadi’s eleventh feature, a couple’s marriage runs into trouble after they move into an apartment previously occupied by a prostitute. The American travel ban on citizens of nine Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, made it difficult for Farhadi to attend the festival. Rather than make a special case for himself, the director chose to boycott the event. The award was collected on his behalf by Iranian-American citizen Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian in space. She read out a statement by Farhadi, who has previously won for A Separation in 2011.
Farhadi took a strong stand against Trump in his speech: “I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country, and those of [the] other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S. Dividing the world into the us and our enemies categories creates fear, a deceitful justification for aggression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression. Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others, an empathy which we need today more than ever.”
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