By Hannah Crooks
The 89th Annual Academy Awards will be a year that goes down in history as arguably one of the most bizarre. Sunday night, the biggest people in the film industry came together to celebrate the year in movies and award the exceptional work accomplished. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the show was filled with surprises big and small, and several moving speeches about tolerance and diversity.
The most sought-after award of the night, best picture, came as the most tremendous shock. This was not because any of the films were undeserving, but rather because presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway read the wrong envelope, announcing Damien Chazelle’s La La Land as the winner, when in actuality, the award belonged to Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins.
The groundbreaking film, which tells the story of a gay black boy finding his way in a hostile world, is, crucially, the first with an all-black cast to win the Academy’s highest honor.
Also from Moonlight, came Mahershala Ali, the winner of the award for best supporting actor. His well-deserved win was no surprise and was the most widely agreed upon prediction for any category this year.
Though La La Land did not take home the best picture award, its team did receive a total of six Oscars, including best cinematography, best actress for Emma Stone (in an upset to the timeless Isabelle Huppert), and best director for 32-year-old Damien Chazelle, making him the youngest in history to win the category.
With a record 14 nominations, La La Land tied with Titanic (1997) and All About Eve (1950) for most Oscar nominations ever.
The award for best actor went to Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea. Affleck thanked fellow nominee, Denzel Washington, in his speech, saying, “One of the first people who taught me how to act was Denzel Washington and I just met him tonight.” Kenneth Longergan, the writer and director of Manchester by the Sea, also won for best original screenplay.
There were many first-time Oscar winners Sunday night, one of which was Viola Davis, winner of best supporting actress for the movie Fences. After three nominations, Davis has long awaited this rightful recognition. In her speech, she expressed her appreciation for her line of work, “I became an artist, and thank God I did because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.”
Davis is also the first black woman to receive an Emmy, a Tony, and an Oscar for her acting.
Much of the evening’s speeches and chosen films held messages of strength and resilience, even the winner of the best animated feature: Zootopia. Matching the current political climate, the movie starring a cartoon bunny working her way up in the police force, actually contains themes of the dangers and implications of white supremacy and discrimination.
“We are so grateful to the audiences all over the world that embraced this film with this story of tolerance being more powerful than fear of the other,” said Zootopia co-director Rich Moore.
Here are some of the winners for the night:
Best picture: Moonlight
Best director: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Best actress: Emma Stone, La La Land
Best actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Best supporting actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Best supporting actress: Viola Davis, Fences
Best original screenplay: Manchester by the Sea
Best adapted screenplay: Moonlight
Best foreign film: The Salesman
Best documentary feature: O.J.: Made in America
Best animated feature: Zootopia
Best cinematography: La La Land