The 96th Academy Awards, eagerly awaited by the entire film industry and movie enthusiasts, took place on March 11th. Every year, the Oscars generate debates in the cinema world with their nominee selections, award winners causing differing opinions, and unexpected chaos during the ceremony, and this year was no exception. The ceremony, which reached 19.5 million viewers only on the ABC channel, became the most-watched Oscars ceremony since 2020. Additionally, Disney+ also offered the opportunity to watch the awards ceremony live in our country. Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the Oscars last year, greeted us on screen again this year and managed to attract attention with his witty jokes.
Although many films were nominated, “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things,” which stuck in most people’s minds, entered into a significant competition as expected. However, the star of the night was Oppenheimer, winning seven awards, including the most anticipated Best Picture category. Cillian Murphy, who portrayed Oppenheimer, won the Best Actor category while Robert Downey Jr. won the Best Supporting Actor category, and both successful actors managed to take their first Oscars home. Additionally, the film’s director, Christopher Nolan, won the Best Director category, finally receiving the Academy Award he had nominated for after a 22-year-long nomination process. In addition to these, Oppenheimer also won the Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing categories, leaving its mark on the night.
Now let’s move on to another star of the night. “Poor Things” became the second biggest film of the night with four awards. The protagonist, Emma Stone, added another Oscar to her collection alongside the first Oscar she won for her success in La La Land in 2017, as the owner of the Best Actress nomination. Additionally, Poor Things also won the awards for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design.
Since we have touched upon most of the main nominations, let’s now talk about some developments that happened during the night. Another important issue that was on everyone’s minds throughout the night was the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Many actors and directors expressed their reactions to the war, advocating for its cessation and emphasizing that innocent people should not be harmed, during their award speeches or interviews.
Another controversial issue was the film “Barbie,” which received six nominations but only won one. Barbie, which has been a topic of discussion since its release, won the Best Original Song category with the song “What Was I Made For?” composed only by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas. Thus, Billie set a record as the youngest person to win two Oscar awards at the age of 22. Additionally, the duo performed the song live at the ceremony, providing unforgettable moments for all viewers. However, undoubtedly, “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling added a completely different dimension to the performance with its colorful stage decorations and bold choreographies, becoming one of the unforgettable moments of the night.
Throughout the night, many names came to the fore thanks to their interactions with each other. One of these was the interaction between La La Land lead actors Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Thanks to the film they worked together in, the beloved duo of the audience achieved one of the biggest awards of the night and delivered a performance that will not be forgotten. This situation brought a smile to the audience because while Emma’s character in La La Land became a famous Hollywood actress, Ryan’s character continued his life with his artistic identity. It was as if they reunited with the same destiny in another universe. This coincidence became one of the sweetest moments of the night.
Now let’s talk about the other Best Film nominees. While “The Zone of Interest” won the nominations for Best Sound and Best International Film, “American Fiction” received the nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and “Anatomy of a Fall” received the nomination for Best Original Screenplay. “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Maestro,” on the other hand, left the night without receiving any awards.
Another topic discussed in our country about the night was that all meals were served with special meal services prepared by the “Karaca” brand. The special services produced by Karaca as the “Red Carpet Collection” met with thousands of names from Hollywood on the tables on Oscar night.
Additionally, John Cena made an unforgettable entrance to the night by appearing naked to present an award and surprised all viewers. Another topic criticized was the moment when Al Pacino took the stage to announce the winner of the Best Film category, catching everyone unprepared. Despite introducing and talking about each category throughout the ceremony, Al Pacino chose not to introduce any of the nominees in the biggest category and directly announced the winner with his first sentence, ending the night in his style, and the Academy Awards ended with the award speech of the Oppenheimer team.
The Academy Awards, which manage to surprise audiences in many aspects every year, at least partially cleared the question marks on its name this year by distributing awards close to the predictions made for the first time. We can say that we look forward to meeting you on the Oscar red carpet next year with new movies and new nominations!
Resources:
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/10/movies/oscars-academy-awards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Christopher_Nolan
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/barbie-oscars-night-wins-2024-awards-insider
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/al-pacino-oscars-best-picture-explained-1235849601