The 94th Academy Awards was a ceremony we won’t soon forget, and some of us might want to forget, but let us not forget that “CODA” made history by becoming the first Sundance film to win Best Picture. Apple also earned the prestigious title of first streaming service to land an Academy Award for Best Picture, something Netflix has been striving to do for years now. “CODA” was well represented all night, first with Troy Kotsur winning for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Then director Siân Heder won for Best Adapted Screenplay. “The Power of the Dog,” which was likely the biggest competition for “CODA,” with twelve nominations, only took home one for Jane Campion and Best Directing.
An altercation overshadowed the night that many believed to be a skit, myself included. But it quickly became apparent that it was not. There are no winners in that debacle, despite Will Smith making history of his own by winning his first Academy Award for his leading performance in “King Richard.” Also overshadowing the evening was the decision to cut eight categories from the telecast. Despite trying to cut the acceptance speeches down, the entire exercise felt half-hearted. With one of the longer telecasts in recent memory, it did nothing to help cut down for runtime. My suggestion would have been to cut one of the two opening monologues, the lengthy introduction of Best Directing by Kevin Costner, or combining Billie Eilish’s performance of “No Time to Die” with the video package honoring the anniversary of Bond.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
“CODA”
Produced by Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier
Netflix
Best Achievement in Directing
Jane Campion
“The Power of the Dog”
Produced by Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier
Netflix
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Will Smith
“King Richard”
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green
Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Directed by Michael Showalter
Searchlight Pictures
Best Performance by an actor in a Supporting Role
Troy Kotsur
“CODA”
Directed by Siân Heder
Apple TV+
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Ariana DeBose
“West Side Story”
Directed by Steven Spielberg
20th Century Studios
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Encanto”
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard
Produced by Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer
Walt Disney Pictures
Best Achievement in Cinematography
“Dune”
Cinematography by Greig Fraser
Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Achievement in Costume Design
“Cruella”
Costume Design by Jenny Beavan
Walt Disney Pictures
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Produced by Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
Searchlight Pictures
Best Documentary Short Subject
“The Queen of Basketball”
Directed by Ben Proudfoot
The New York Times
Best Achievement in Film Editing
“Dune”
Edited by Joe Walker
Warner Bros. Pictures
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
“Drive My Car”
(Japan)
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Janus Films
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Makeup and Hairstyling by Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
Searchlight Pictures
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures
(Original Score)
“Dune”
Composed by Hans Zimmer
Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures
(Original SONG)
“No Time To Die”
from “No Time To Die”
Music and Lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Achievement in Production Design
“Dune”
Production Design by Patrice Vermette
Set Decoration by Zsuzsanna Sipos
Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Animated Short Film
“The Windshield Wiper”
Directed by Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez Barbosa
Leo Sanchez Studio
Best Live Action Short Film
“The Long Goodbye”
Directed by Aneil Karia
Written by Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed
WePresent
Best Sound
“Dune”
Sound Design by Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
“Dune”
Visual Effects by Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Achievement in WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
“CODA”
Screenplay by Siân Heder
Based on “La Famille Bélier” by Victoria Bedos, Thomas Bidegain, Stanislas Carré de Malberg, and Éric Lartigau
AppleTV+
Best Achievement in WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
“Belfast”
Written by Kenneth Branagh
Focus Features
