Congrats to the Winners of the 96th Academy Awards
Hollywood’s finest assembled in Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre for the 96th Oscars Sunday night. Hosted for the fourth time by Jimmy Kimmel, keep reading to learn more about the night’s biggest wins and most memorable moments.
Oppenheimer
Universal’s “Oppenheimer” was the night’s big winner, collecting a total of seven awards including Best Picture. The expansive look at J. Robert Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb also won Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Cillian Murphy), Best Actor in Supporting Role (Robert Downey Jr.), Best Original Score, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
Zone of Interest
The historical drama film, which revolves around an Auschwitz commandant and his wife striving to build a dream life for their family next to the camp, won two Oscars at the award show: Best International Film and Best Sound. Writer and director Jonathan Glazer said he hoped the film will draw attention to current conflicts. "All our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present,” Glazer said during his acceptance speech. “Not to say, 'Look what they did then,' rather 'look what we do now.”
American Fiction
The comedy-drama film took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Written and directed by Cord Jefferson in his feature directorial debut, the film was passed on many times before finally being made and earning him his first Oscar. Jefferson pleaded with Hollywood studios during his acceptance speech to give more up and coming creatives a chance. “I want other people to experience that joy, and they’re out there,” he explained. “They just want a shot, and we can give them one. This has changed my life. Thank you all who worked on this movie for trusting a 40-year-old Black guy who’s never directed anything before.”
“At their very best, films can do more than entertain us. They can open our hearts to each other. They can show us ourselves and they can shine a light on where we’ve been and make us think about where we are going. We are so fortunate that this has been a great and eclectic year for movies.” Steven Spielberg
Anatomy of a Fall
French legal drama “Anatomy of a Fall” won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Written by Justine Triet, who also directed the film, and Arthur Harari, the film revolves around a woman suspected of murdering her husband with their blind son serving as the sole witness. The film had an altogether amazing award season; however, the standout star was Messi, the Border Collie from the film. He was also in attendance at last night’s award show, even receiving his own seat and seen clapping for winners.
Barbie
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “What Was I Made For?” from the “Barbie” movie. The win makes the sibling duo two-time Oscar winners, as well as record breakers. At 22 and 26 respectively, they are now the youngest winners to win more than one Oscar award. They previously won the same category in 2022 for “No Time to Die” from the James Bond film of the same name.
The Holdovers
An emotional moment occurred when Da’Vine Joy Randolph won her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mary Lamb in the comedy-drama film. “I always wanted to be different,” Randolph said during her acceptance speech. “Now I realized I just needed to be myself.”
Congratulations to all the winners at the 96th annual award show! Contact your Swank account representative to license the winners and nominees.