The 96th Academy Awards Ceremony was an explosive night. Biopic Oppenheimer walks away with the most trophies as artists and protesters use the spotlight to draw attention to the deadly conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Traffic was backed up outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California, as demonstrators called for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, which has been under Israeli military offensive for five months.
And inside the auditorium, actors and artists used the award to call for peace, drawing on themes presented in the various nominated films.
The biopic Oppenheimer received 13 nominations, making it the frontrunner for that night's Oscar ceremony. And it won seven major categories, fulfilling early predictions of Oscar success.
Here are the biggest takeaways of the night:
Oppenheimer cleans up with 7 wins
“Oppenheimer,'' a passionate portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb, started the night slowly but quickly gained momentum and took home the ceremony's top award.
Robert Downey Jr. scored his first win of the night by taking home the coveted Best Supporting Actor trophy. However, co-star Cillian Murphy faced stiff competition in the Best Actor category, but still won the golden statuette over leading men like Paul Giamatti.
The film also brought Christopher Nolan, whose association with the Academy Awards spans more than 20 years, a coveted win in the Best Director category.
Nolan first received an Academy Award nomination in 2002 for the amnesia mystery Memento, but while his films have won major awards at the Oscars, Nolan himself has consistently ended up empty-handed. was.
But things changed at Sunday's ceremony. Not only did Nolan win Best Director, his wife and producer Emma Thomas also joined him on stage to take home the most coveted trophy of the night, Best Picture.
Flower Moon Killer completes the game
One of the final categories of the night was Best Actress. The Dolby Theater auditorium held its breath as the presenters announced the winners.
The race was the closest of the night, but Lily Gladstone, who was on the verge of scoring a historic victory in Murders of the Flower Moon, was widely believed to be the favorite. was.
Until now, a Native American woman had never won, let alone been nominated for, this category. Gladstone, a member of the Nez Perce and Blackfeet tribes, played the role of Molly Kyle, a real-life Osage woman who lost her closest relatives in the 1920s serial killings known as the Osage Reign of Terror. .
It was a quietly wonderful performance from Gladstone, exuding a steady intelligence in every scene. But in a surprising twist, she lost her Best Actress award to another front-runner, Emma Stone, for her bizarre and unconventional performance in the surreal comedy Poor Things.
Gladstone's loss completely shut Killers of the Flower Moon out of the Oscar race, despite receiving 10 nominations. Meanwhile, Poor Things earned him four awards, mainly in technical categories such as Best Production Design and Best Makeup & Hairstyling.
Gaza steals Oscar spotlight with red button pin
But world events dominated the conversation, both on stage and off. Outside the Dolby Theater, groups including the Los Angeles chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace held signs chanting for a ceasefire in Gaza and blocked several lanes of traffic.
Among the protesters were members of the activist group SAG-AFTRA for a Ceasefire.
Demonstrators said they tried to ensure that Israel's attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah did not go unnoticed, even in the evening's pomp.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military attacks so far, raising concerns about the risk of genocide and famine.
Celebrities including singer Billie Eilish and Poor Things star Ramy Youssef wore Ceasefire Artist pins on the Oscars red carpet to raise awareness of the growing humanitarian crisis. , the appeal for peace in Gaza continued.
“I think this is a universal message: 'Stop killing children,'” Youssef told Variety magazine. “Let's not get involved in the war any further.”
The director of the chilling Holocaust drama “Zone of Interest” similarly gave voice to the cause while winning the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
“Right now, we have to deal with being Jewish and creating conflict for so many innocent people, whether it be the victims of October 7th in Israel or the victims of the ongoing attacks on Gaza.” “I stand here as a refute of the Holocaust, which was hijacked by the occupation,” he said. To applause.
Documentary renews call for peace in Ukraine
The Gaza war wasn't the only international conflict to garner Oscar attention. The film 20 Days in Mariupol once again brought attention to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine by winning the documentary feature category.
More than two years have passed since Russia launched a full-scale military attack in February 2022. Filmmaker Mstislav Chernov made a documentary about the early days of the war, when the southeastern city of Mariupol faced Russian bombs.
Chernov's victory in this category was historic. He explained from the Oscar stage that he would take home Ukraine's first Oscar, but that he would trade everything for peace in his homeland.
“I'm probably the first director on this stage to say, 'I wish I hadn't made this movie.' I would trade this for Russia never attacking Ukraine and never occupying our cities.” I hope I can do it,” he said to the audience with emotion.
“But you can't change history. You can't change the past,” he continued, appealing to filmmakers in the audience to continue shining a light on Ukraine.
“We can set the historical record straight, so that the truth prevails and that the people of Mariupol and those who gave their lives are never forgotten. Because cinema shapes memory, and memory shapes history. Because it forms.”
Currently, the US Congress is struggling to pass foreign aid to Ukraine as Republicans oppose funding.
Host Kimmel insults President Trump from stage
America's political divisions and the impending presidential election in November also briefly colored the night's events.
The Oscars were, as always, a mix of spectacle and glamor. One of the highlights of the night was Canadian actor Ryan Gosling, dressed in a sparkly pink suit and backed by dancers in cowboy hats, performing the Barbie-themed power ballad “I'm Just Ken.” ” took to the stage for a live performance.
In another eye-popping moment, actor and wrestler John Cena appeared naked on stage to present the award for best costume.
But four-time Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel couldn't help but sprinkle a little political humor into the night's frenetic movie-themed atmosphere.
He first attacked U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, who recently spoke out against President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.
Kimmel likened Britt to the Frankenstein-like heroine in “Poor Man,” played by Oscar winner Stone.
“Emma played a grown woman with the brain of a child, like the woman who spoke out against the State of the Union on Thursday night,” Kimmel quipped.
And before the night was over, Kimmel appeared on stage again to read mean social media posts directed at him. Who is that author? Former President Donald Trump is a frequent target of Kimmel's comedy.
“Was there ever a worse host at the Oscars than Jimmy Kimmel?” Kimmel said, reading from his phone. He looked up and said directly to the president, who is facing four criminal charges: Hasn't the prison sentence already passed? ”
