Sian Heder’s CODA was named Best Picture and Jane Campion Best Director for The Power of The Dog at the 94th Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars. The winners at the ceremony held in Los Angeles on Sunday included Jessica Chastain for Best Actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Will Smith for Best Actor for King Richard.
Dune swept the technical awards, winning six Oscars, including for cinematography and production design.
Troy Kotsur made history – he is the second deaf actor and the first deaf man to be nominated for an Oscar for CODA (after Marlee Matlin for Children of a Lesser God, 1986). On Sunday, Kotsur signed his gratitude for the Oscar For Best Supporting Actor. CODA also won Sian Heder an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
CODA, which is being streamed on Apple TV+, is the coming-of-age story of Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only hearing member of a deaf family. Kotsur and Matlin play Ruby’s parents, while deaf actor Damiel Durant plays Ruby’s brother Leo.
The awarding of important Oscars for CODA and The Power of the Dog is likely to increase the hand-wringing in Hollywood about the future of the theatrical business. CODA and The Power of the Dog had limited theatrical runs to boost their Oscar prospects but were mainly intended for streaming platforms. In contrast, other Best Picture nominees like Belfast have been playing only in cinemas.
The Power of the Dog, adapted from the Thomas Savage novel of the same name, follows a repressed gay cowboy and his entanglement with his sister-in-law’s son from a previous marriage. The film, led by Benedict Cumberbatch, is being streamed on Netflix.
In 1994, Campion was the first woman to be nominated for a directing Oscar for The Piano, but lost out to Steven Spielberg for Schindler’s List. On Sunday, it was Campion’s turn to trump Spielberg in the category.
The second-most nominated film Dune, which had 10 nods, won six Oscars, including cinematography (Greig Fraser), production design (Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos), music (Hans Zimmer) and sound (Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett).
Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name stars Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa and Zendaya. Dune is set in a dystopian future in which control of a precious commodity will determine the future of humankind. The film sets itself up for a sequel in which the fate of Chalamet’s messianic hero Paul will be determined.
The Best Original Screenplay Oscar went to Kenneth Branagh for Belfast.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car was named Best International Feature Film.
The Oscars were held in the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (for which messages of solidarity rang out throughout the ceremony). The greater anxiety was within. Television ratings for the event have been plummeting. Several deserving films and performances didn’t make it to the final list of nominations.
These included Lady Gaga’s powerhouse turn in House of Gucci, Leos Carax’s wildly inventive musical Annette and Wes Anderson’s meticulously designed The French Dispatch. The blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, credited with bringing back audiences to cinemas in the time of the punishing coronavirus pandemic, had a single nomination for visual effects (which it lost to Dune).
The highlight, if one can call it that, was Will Smith punching presenter Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s tonsured head. Pinkett-Smith shaved off her head in 2021 because of alopecia. After returning to his seat, Smith yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the Oscars, had previously invited controversy and scorn by deciding to pre-tape the acceptance of the awards for Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Subject, Film Editing, Live Action Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design and Sound.
The decision, taken to curb the length of the ceremony, was met with rage by the guilds that represent these disciplines. The announcement of these Oscars even as the red carpet was on certainly robbed the winners of their big moment.
The idea was to make time for what detractors called the “variety entertainment” element – tributes to classic films (including Dr No, White Men Can’t Jump and The Godfather), comedy routines and musical numbers. The Academy didn’t stint on the razzmatazz.
The show was hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. There were performances by Best Original Song nominees Beyonce, Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Reba McEntire and Sebastian Yatra as well as the tune We Don’t Talk About Bruno from the animated film Encanto.
Beyonce, nominated for Be Alive from King Richard (nominated for Best Original Song), belted out her tune from a tennis court surrounded by dancers and musicians, all of them dressed in tennis ball-lime green.
The Academy also tried to connect with younger viewers by introducing an audience choice award, in which fans voted for their favourite movie from 2021 on Twitter.
The winner was Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead.
Here is the complete list of winners.
Best Picture
Won: CODA.
Also nominated:
The Power of the Dog, Belfast, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, West Side Story.
Best Director
Won: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog.
Also nominated:
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car.
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza.
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story.
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast.
Best Original Screenplay
Won: Kenneth Branagh, Belfast.
Also nominated:
Adam McKay and David Sirota, Don’t Look Up.
Zach Baylin, King Richard.
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza.
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier, The Worst Person in the World.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Won: Sian Heder, CODA.
Also nominated:
Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe, Drive My Car.
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth, Dune.
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter.
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog.
Best Lead Actor
Won: Will Smith, King Richard.
Also nominated:
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog.
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos.
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick … Boom!
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Best Supporting Actor
Won: Troy Kotsur, CODA.
Also nominated:
Ciaran Hinds, Belfast.
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog.
JK Simmons, Being the Ricardos.
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog.
Best Lead Actress
Won: Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Also nominated:
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter.
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers.
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos.
Kristen Stewart, Spencer.
Best Supporting Actress
Won: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story.
Also nominated:
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter.
Judi Dench, Belfast.
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog.
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard.
Best Cinematography
Won: Greig Fraser, Dune.
Also nominated:
Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog, Bruno Delbonnel, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Janusz Kaminski, West Side Story, Dan Laustsen, Nightmare Alley.
Best Film Editing
Won: Joe Walker, Dune.
Also nominated:
Pamela Martin, King Richard, Hank Corwin, Don’t Look Up, Peter Sciberras, The Power of the Dog, Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum, Tick, Tick…Boom!
Best International Feature Film
Won: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car (Japan).
Also nominated:
The Worst Person in the World (Norway), Flee (Denmark), The Hand of God (Italy) and Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan).
Best Live Action Short Film
Won: The Long Goodbye by Aneil Karia.
Also nominated:
Ala Kachuu – Take and Run, The Dress, On My Mind, Please Hold.
Best Documentary Feature
Won: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Questlove.
Also nominated: Writing With Fire, Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh; Ascension, Jessica Kingdon; Attica, Stanley Nelson and Traci A Curry; Flee, Jonas Poher Rasmussen.
Best Documentary Short Subject
Won: The Queen of Basketball, Ben Proudfoot.
Also nominated: Audible, Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean, Lead Me Home, Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk, Three Songs for Benazir, Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei, When We Were Bullies, Jay Rosenblatt.
Best Production Design
Won: Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos, Dune.
Also nominated:
Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau, Nightmare Alley.
Grant Major and Amber Richards, The Power of the Dog.
Stefan Dechant and Nancy Haigh, The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Adam Stockhausen and Rena DeAngelo, West Side Story.
Best Sound
Won: Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett, Dune.
Also nominated:
Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri, Belfast.
Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor, No Time to Die.
Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb, The Power of the Dog.
Tod A Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy, West Side Story.
Best Visual Effects
Won: Dune, Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer.
Also nominated:
Free Guy, Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick.
No Time to Die, Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver.
Spider-Man: No Way Home, Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick
Best Costume Design
Won: Jenny Beavan, Cruella.
Also nominated:
Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran, Cyrano.
Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan, Dune.
Luis Sequeira, Nightmare Alley.
Paul Tazewell, West Side Story.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Won: The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh.
Also nominated:
Coming 2 America, Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer.
Cruella, Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon.
Dune, Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr.
House of Gucci, Goran Lundstrom, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras.
Best Animated Feature Film
Won: Encanto.
Also nominated: Raya and the Last Dragon, Flee, Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
Best Animated Short Film
Won: The Windshield Wiper by Alberto Mielgo.
Also nominated: Affairs of the Art, Bestia, Boxballet, Robin Robin.
Best Original Score
Won: Hans Zimmer, Dune.
Also nominated:
Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog, Nicholas Britell, Don’t Look Up, Germaine Franco, Encanto. Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers.
Best Original Song
Won: No Time To Die from No Time to Die, music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.
Also nominated:
Dos Oruguitas from Encanto, music and lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Down To Joy from Belfast, music and lyric by Van Morrison.
Be Alive from King Richard, Dixson and Beyonce Knowles-Carter.
Somehow You Do from Four Good Days, music and lyric by Diane Warren.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!