History was made at this year’s Academy Awards, with historic wins for Asian actors Michelle Yeoh and Ke Hui Quan, as well as costume designer Ruth E. Carter becoming the first black woman to win two Oscars and Best Original Song winner “Natu Natu” . This is the first win in the category for an Indian film. As expected, “Everything Everyone at Once” dominated with seven wins, with “All Quiet on the Western Front” following close behind with four.
Meanwhile, acclaimed Best Picture nominees including “Elvis,” “The Fablemans,” “Banshees of Inishrin” and “Tar” went home empty-handed despite 30 nominations. Here, Diversity Breaks down the biggest swindles and surprises of the 95th Annual Academy Awards.
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SNUB: Angela Bassett, Best Supporting Actress, “Wakanda Forever”
Throughout the season, there has been a slight question mark over the supporting actress category. While Bassett seemed to be the early frontrunner with wins from the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, neither of those voting bodies overlap with the Oscars. So when Kerry Condon won a BAFTA and Jamie Lee Curtis won a SAG Award, the category started to feel wide open. And no one could deny Bassett’s powerful performance in a film – or how impactful her speeches have been. However, Bassett still won kudos, receiving a sweet shoutout from presenters Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors. “Hey, Auntie,” Jordan — who previously played her nephew in “Black Panther” — said as Major, “We love you.”
SNUB: Katherine Martin and “Elvis”
“Elvis” walked into the night with an impressive eight nominations, including three for Martin in Picture, Production Design and Costume Design. It looked like Austin Butler might take home Lead Actor after his BAFTA win for “Elvis,” but SAG Award winner Brendan Fraser ultimately won in that category for his comeback vehicle, “The Whale.”
Surprise: Ruth E. Carter, Best Costume Design, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
It’s hard to call it a shock when someone as prestigious as Carter takes home an award, but Catherine Martin has a slight edge after winning a BAFTA. They competed in various categories at the Costume Designers Guild Awards, where “Elvis” won for period film, while “Wakanda Forever” lost to “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” – giving Martin an even further edge. For. But in the end, Carter not only won on Oscar night, she became the first black woman in history to win two Academy Awards.
SNUB: Mandy Walker, Best Cinematography, “Elvis”
History was made a week earlier when Walker became the first female director of photography to take home the top prize at the American Society of Cinematographers Award in the feature film category – and it looked like she might repeat the win at the Oscars, becoming the first Academy Award winner. Women in 95 years of history. But the prize was ultimately taken by James Friend for his brilliant work in “All Quiet on the Western Front”.
Surprise: Volker Bertelmann, Best Original Score, “All Quiet on the Western Front”
Most pundits were predicting that the category was down to two previous winners — Justin Hurwitz’s acclaimed “Babylon” score and five-time Oscar winner/legend John Williams. But it was German composer Bertelmann, who had previously been nominated in the category for “Lion,” who took home his first Academy Award.
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