By Jenna Frisby | Writer
For those who missed it, all eyes were on Hollywood’s biggest stars during the iconic Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on Sunday at Union Station in Los Angeles, Coveted awards such as “Best Picture” and “Best Actor and Actress” were presented and history was made in several other categories at the 93rd annual show.
“Nomadland” swept several major categories such as Best Picture, Director and Actress. The movie made history for it’s special film company Searchlight Pictures, by giving them their fourth best-picture prize in eight years. Another notable winner was Anthony Hopkins winning Best Actor for his film “The Father,” who took home the prize over the late Chadwick Boseman, who was expected to win.
The Oscars did receive some criticism for the lackluster opening to the show, as there was no video montage recapping the year’s cinematography or even a memorable start to the show. With the Oscars being pushed back a month later than usual, the spectacle of the show did not make up for the delayed start date.
Another point of criticism the Oscars have received in the past is the lack of diversity among winners and nominees in many categories. Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson made history by becoming the first African-American women to ever win the award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Their speech was inspirational and touched on the issue of the underrepresentation of people of color in their category in particular.
The night was full of girl-power, as many females took home awards, including Chloé Zhao winning Best Director for “Nomadland.” She is the second female in Oscar history to win Best Director. Emerald Fennell was the first female in 13 years to win Best Original Screenplay, which was also a female-empowering moment.
The Pixar animated film “Soul” took home the win in two categories, Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score, beating out fellow Pixar film “Onward.”
The fashion was in full force as celebrities graced the red carpet in designer gowns galore. Some of the best-dressed stars included presenter Zendaya in an electric yellow dress complete with $6 million worth of diamonds. Singer and winner of Best Original Song H.E.R.’s deep indigo sparkly ensemble was inspired by Prince and was a standout favorite look.
With so much Hollywood history rooted in the Oscars, the night was full wins and moments that will go down in the show’s history.
