LAST night, we saw the 2019/20 award season come to an end with the 92nd Academy Awards.
For the second year in a row, the event replaced the usual lone host with an array of actors and actresses who took turns presenting. The star-studded line-up included Jane Fonda, Tom Hanks, Regina King and Mahershala Ali, to name a few.
Here’s a recap of the night.
The event opened with a show-stopping performance by Janelle Monáe, which began with her singing a song from A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, which the actor Tom Hanks was nominated for.
It then transitioned into an upbeat song about the actors and films nominated. Monae really knows how to perform, giving a high energy performance that included a little bit of audience interaction and an incredible cameo from LGBT+ icon Billy Porter who sang an Elton John hit.
Throughout the night we also got performances from all the nominees for Original Song,with Billie Eilish performing Yesterday for the in-memoriam section. There was even a surprise performance of the oscar-winning song, Lose Yourself, by Eminem.
Parasite, the South Korean psychological thriller, made history when it not only became the first film in a foreign language to win Best Picture, but also the first film to win Best Picture and Best International Feature Film (formally known as Best Foreign Language Film).
Director Bong Joon Ho won a total of 4 awards for Parasite, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. This landmark win gives hope that the Academy will start to move towards a more diverse celebration of film, in all its incredible forms.
As expected, there was a theme of politically charged jokes and statements from presenters and winners alike. The lack of female nominees for best director, as well as there being only one non-white nominee in the actor/director categories, was the biggest controversy and was brought up by many presenters at different points in the night.
Perhaps the most notable political remarks came from Joaquin Phoenix, when he collected his Best Actor award and made a slightly agitated and confusing speech about veganism and humanity. The underlying message behind it was powerful but the delivery was questionable.
The highlight of the night was definitely Bong Joon-Ho’s Best Director speech. No one, including him, had predicted he would win this award but he gave the most genuine and humble speech of the night. Looking at him, you could tell that he was astounded he had beaten icons like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, and at his first-ever Oscars no less.
The joy that radiated from him, and the rest of the cast and crew, was amazing and made the win even more exhilarating.
Most Notable Awards
Best Picture: Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho
Best Director: Bong Joon-Ho for Parasite
Best Actress: Renée Zellweger for Judy
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix for Joker
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern for Marriage Story
Best Original Screenplay: Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-Won
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jojo Rabbit by Taika Waititi
Best International Feature Film: Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho
Best Documentary Feature: American Factory by Steven Bognar, John Reichert and Julia Reichert
A full list of the winners can be found on the official Oscars website.
Featured image credit: The New York Times
3rd year Journalism student | Film and Television Editor @ Brig Newspaper
Enjoyed your article. It was a great recap of the evening