Every year, film lovers across the globe gather around their televisions to watch the biggest award show of the film industry: The Academy Awards. This year marked the 90th annual Academy Awards, largely known as the Oscars, an award show that provides moments that will be talked about until next year’s ceremony. Here is a look at some big moments from this year’s broadcast that are sure to be discussed over the next year.
Frances McDormand Shifts Win to Inclusion
Frances McDormand won her second Oscar on Sunday night for her performance as a mother whose patience has run out with the local police force in Martin McDonagh’s critically-divisive “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” McDormand’s win was expected, as she has won every precursor award leading to the Oscars, but her acceptance speech stood out. After taking the stage to accept her award, McDormand asked all the female nominees in the audience to stand in solidarity with one another before asking everyone to remember the term “inclusion rider” moving forward. When speaking to the press after her win, McDormand explained that an inclusion rider “means that you can ask for or demand at least 50 percent diversity not only in casting, but also the crew.”
Jordan Peele Gets an Oscar
With his box-office hit that earned rave reviews and much acclaim for its sharp writing and direction, Jordan Peele took home his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out” and effectively made history. This marks the first time an African-American has won an Academy Award in this category, seemingly indicating a shift toward a more diverse landscape in the film industry. While many were hopeful that “Get Out” would be able to take home the award for Best Picture, Peele deserved this award for his thrilling and haunting script.
Jimmy Kimmel takes a Tour
During the broadcast of the show, host Jimmy Kimmel informed the audience that across the street was an auditorium filled with moviegoers watching a sneak preview of “A Wrinkle in Time” before asking members of the audience to accompany him to surprise them with candy. After recruiting some and some joining on their own, Jimmy Kimmel made his way across the street with an entourage comprised of Ansel Elgort, Emily Blunt, Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot, Lupita Nyong’o, Mark Hamill, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Margot Robbie. The celebrities seemed to enjoy themselves, especially Gal Gadot who quipped, “This is better than the Oscars!”
Time’s Up
Hollywood has been vocal this awards season, expressing concerns regarding different issues, and the Oscars were no different. Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra, all accusers of scorned film executive Harvey Weinstein, took the stage for a segment about the Time’s Up movement. The movement, which sponsors a legal defense fund for low-income victims of sexual violence and assault, has been a staple of the awards season since the Golden Globes in January. After discussing the movement, a video mashup of women in film of the past year was showed, with appearances from notable filmmakers and actresses sharing the impact of the movement, providing a powerful moment that showcased the importance of women in film and the movement itself.
Guillermo Del Toro Wins Big
Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” came into the night leading with 13 nominations across major categories, and he took home four awards before the ceremony ended. After Guillermo Del Toro became the fourth Mexican director in five years to win the trophy for Best Director, “The Shape of Water” was awarded the highest honor of the evening: Best Picture. There had been much heated debate over who was going to win the biggest title of the night, some hoping for “Get Out” while some wanted to see if “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” could take home the big prize. Either way, this is a moment that will be discussed in the world of film until another winner is crowned next year.
