And the Oscar Goes to: Highlights from the 95th Academy Awards

Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/GI Chandrabose and M. M. Keeravani accept the Best Original Song award for ‘Naatu Naatu’

The Oscars, the most anticipated awards show of the year, took place on Sunday, March 12th, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The 95th Academy Awards marked a momentous occasion for the film industry as it celebrated the best in cinema from the previous year. As always, the event was filled with glamour, excitement, and emotion, as the most talented and deserving filmmakers, actors, and crew members received recognition for their hard work and dedication.

One of the most notable highlights of the night was the historic wins for diverse nominees, including women, people of colour, and international filmmakers. The Academy’s decision to broaden the range of films and filmmakers that they honoured made a huge impact on the industry and signaled a significant step forward for representation in Hollywood.

Jimmy Kimmel returned to host the 2023 Oscars for the third time. He didn’t shy away from addressing the controversy of the previous year’s ceremony when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage. Kimmel made light of the situation, jokingly suggesting that anyone who commits an act of violence during the show would be given the Best Actor Oscar and 19 minutes for their acceptance speech. He also assured the audience that the Academy had a crisis team in place and advised them to do nothing if any unpredictable or violent incidents occurred. Later in the show, Kimmel brought a donkey on stage, a nod to the Irish film Banshees of Inisherin. He introduced the donkey as a certified emotional support animal, offering to send anyone in need of a hug back on a Spirit Airlines flight with the donkey.

Here are the winners in each category:

Best Visual Effects: Avatar: The Way of Water – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett
Best Film Editing: Everything Everywhere All at Once – Paul Rogers
Best Costume Design: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ruth E. Carter
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: The Whale – Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Anne Marie Bradley
Best Cinematography: All Quiet on the Western Front – James Friend
Best Production Design: All Quiet on the Western Front – Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper
Best Sound: Top Gun: Maverick – Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, and Mark Taylor
Best Original Score: All Quiet on the Western Front – Volker Bertelmann
Best Original Song: “Naatu Naatu” from RRR – Music by M. M. Keeravani; Lyrics by Chandrabose
Best Live Action Short Film: An Irish Goodbye – Tom Berkeley and Ross White
Best Animated Short Film: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
Best Documentary Short Subject: The Elephant Whisperers – Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
Best Documentary Feature: Navalny – Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, and Shane Boris
Best International Feature Film: All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) – directed by Edward Berger
Best Animated Feature Film: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar, and Alex Bulkley
Best Adapted Screenplay: Women Talking – Sarah Polley; based on the novel by Miriam Toews
Best Original Screenplay: Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Waymond Wangd
Best Supporting Actress: Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Deirdre Beaubeirdre
Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Evelyn Quan Wang
Best Actor: Brendan Fraser – The Whale as Charlie
Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, and Jonathan Wang, producers

Aside from the awards, there were also memorable moments during the ceremony. Lady Gaga turned heads in a stunning sheer dress from Versace’s Fall-Winter 2023 collection, while Rihanna wowed in a leather Alaïa gown that perfectly highlighted her baby bump. The event also highlighted several moving speeches from winners, including Brendan Fraser, who was overwhelmed by his win and the support he received from the industry.

Mackinnon and Saunders, the Altrincham-based studio, won best animated feature at this year’s Oscars for their creations in Guillermo del Toro’s reimagining of Pinocchio. As a local studio to Title Productions based in Bolton, we were rooting for them to win. The studio, which built a global reputation through collaboration with Hollywood directors, has brought to life some of children’s most beloved TV characters, including Bob the Builder and Postman Pat. The studio’s co-founder, Peter Saunders, praised his team for their hard work and said winning the Oscar means the world to them.

The Ratings:

The 95th Academy Awards saw an average of 18.7 million US viewers, marking a 12% increase from the previous year, according to market measuring firm Nielsen. While the preliminary ratings were the highest since 2020, the ceremony was the third-least watched Oscars ever tracked by Nielsen. The show, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, featured Everything Everywhere All at Once as the dominant winner, taking home seven awards. The 2021 ceremony, which was scaled-back, holds the record for the least-watched Oscars of all time. However, the Oscars’ social media presence was strong, though not reflected in the Nielsen numbers.

Overall, the Oscars 2023 was a night to remember. The Academy recognised a diverse range of filmmakers and artists, setting a new standard for inclusivity in Hollywood. The night was filled with emotion, glamour, and plenty of surprises, cementing its status as the biggest event in the film industry.