The 96th Academy Awards saw Hollywood stars come together to celebrate their best, which turned out to be Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
It entered with 13 nominations, scoring seven starting with Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr.
“I needed this job more than it needed me,” said Downey Jr. in his acceptance speech which included references to his high profile past. “I stand here a better man because of it. You know what we do is meaningful and the stuff we decide to make is important.”
Prior to his win Downey Jr. had been nominated two other times for an Oscar. The first for Best Actor in 1993 for the title role in Chaplin, and Best Supporting Actor in 2008’s Tropic Thunder.
Co-star Cillian Murphy picked up Best Actor for his performance as Robert Oppenheimer alongside Downey Jr.
Oppenheimer would go on to also pick up wins in film editing, cinematography, score, director and the coveted Best Picture.
Best Supporting Actress went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for her performance in The Holdovers.
Returning for her second win for Best Actress was Emma Stone for Poor Things, who took the time to credit all those who made the movie possible.
“It’s not about me, its about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts, and that is the best part about making movies.”
Of 11 nominations, Poor Things was also a big winner, picking up in addition to Best Actress, awards for hair and makeup, production design, and costume design.
There was even a Canadian in the mix of winners, as Halifax’s Ben Proudfoot took Best Documentary Short Film, along side co-director Kris Bowers for The Last Repair Shop.
History was made in the Best Feature Documentary category with a win for 20 Days in Mariupol, the first ever win for Ukraine, which led to an emotional speech from director Mstylav Chernov, who wished he could trade the prize in for peace in his country, to undo the death and destruction from Russia’s invasion, and dedicated it to those still there.
“The people of Mariupol, and those who’ve given their lives will never be forgotten….because cinema forms memories, and memories form history.”
A full list of the winners and nominees can be found here.
