On the night of March 28, the 94th Oscar ceremony was held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. This year, the awards were given to films released between March 1 and December 31, 2021. The show was hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes.
The ceremony started with Beyoncé’s extravagant performance of the Oscar-nominated song from the movie “King Richard.” But the award for best original song went to Billie Eilish and her brother Finnear for the song “No Time to Die” from the thriller No Time to Die.
The drama “CODA: Child of Deaf Parents” earned the Best Picture nomination. A remake of the French film La Famille Bélier, dedicated to the only hearing member of a deaf family. In “CODA” the parents and brother of the main character were played by deaf actors.
Purchased for a record $25 million at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Apple TV+ is the first streaming service movie to win the award. Tape producer Patrick Waksberger thanked the Academy “for recognizing a movie about love and family at this difficult time.” The tape also won in the category “Best Supporting Actor” – Troy Katzur received the award. He became the second deaf actor to win an Oscar. In 1987, the lead actress in CODA, Marley Matlin, won the Best Actress Award for Children of a Lesser God.
“I really want to thank all the wonderful theater stages for giving me the opportunity to improve my acting skills,” Katzur said in a soulful speech. “This win is dedicated to the deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community. This is our moment.”
CODA writer/director Sian Heder won the Best Adapted Screenplay award. The Best Original Screenplay award went to Belfast creator Kenneth Branay.
Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for her role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, while Will Smith won Best Actor. He played the father of tennis players Serena and Venus Williams in the movie “King Richard”. The actress was also associated with the most “viral” moment of the evening.
During the ceremony, Smith slapped Chris Rock, who joked about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, while announcing the Best Documentary nominations.
The comedian talked about the “amazing, very short hairstyle” of Jada, who suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. He also joked that he was looking forward to the release of GI Jane 2, starring Smith’s wife.
Later, Hollywood Reporter journalist Scott Feinberg wrote on social media that Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry consoled Smith during a commercial break and wiped Smith’s tears. Later, while receiving an Oscar, Smith apologized to the Academy and all the nominees.
“Art imitates life and I look like a crazy dad just like Richard Williams. Love will make you do crazy things,” the actress said. Richard Williams was a staunch protector of his family. I know we need to be able to endure insults and disrespect, smile and act like everything is okay.”
The Best Director award went to Jane Campion for the most nominated psychological drama “In the Power of the Dog.” He thanked the film’s cast and described the award as “an honor to last a lifetime”. Ariana DeBos was named Best Supporting Actress for her role in a remake of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.
Dune dominated the technical categories and won awards for best soundtrack, editing, sound, production design and visual effects. Cinematographer Greg Fraser was also recognized as the best – winning films in six categories in total. Two-time Oscar winner Jenny Beavan won Best Costume for Cruella.
The drama Drive My Car became the first Japanese film to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and immediately won.
Encanto won Best Animated Feature and Windshield Wiper won Best Animated Feature. The painting “Summer of Soul” was chosen as the best documentary.
Last year’s Best Actor nominee, Riz Ahmed, became the first Muslim and first Asian person to win the Long Goodbye short film award. He is the screenwriter and lead actor of this tape.
A special prize was also awarded in 2022, the winner of which was determined by voting on one of the social networks. Zack Snyder’s zombie thriller Army of the Dead earned a Fan Favorite nomination. Instead, Zack Snyder’s Justice League was scheduled to be presented, but it turned out he wasn’t able to attend as it immediately went into digital distribution.