The 96th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 10, 2024. The annual awards show celebrates the best films released each year. 2023 was seen as a very successful year for the film industry despite the SAG-AFTRA strike with many movies grossing high amounts of money including Barbie and The Super Mario Bros Movie both grossing over $1 billion.
Some of the biggest movies of the year received numerous Oscar nominations. The cultural phenomenon pairing of Oppenheimer and Barbie received a combined 21 nominations, including both being nominated for Best Picture. Other notable films nominated for multiple awards include Poor Things, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Zone of Interest, and Anatomy of a Fall.
The award ceremony itself was notable for the high number of celebrities presenting the awards and in attendance. In a shocking moment that referenced a streaking incident at the 1974 Academy Awards, actor and former professional wrestler John Cena presented the award for Best Costume Design while almost completely nude, except for the award envelope covering his groin.
As a point of political interest, many people at the ceremony voiced their support for the end of the Israel-Palestine conflict. This included The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer, who was criticized by pro-Israel and Jewish figures who claimed he was refuting his own Jewish faith. Several other performers and presenters wore red Artists4Ceasefire badges to show support for the anti-war movement.
The awards themselves were presented by a diverse group of previous winners, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito presenting the awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Film Editing, and Steven Spielberg presenting the Best Director award. Performers for the night included Billie Eilish and Ryan Gosling, both of which performed songs from Barbie.
A tradition followed every year by the Oscars is the “In Memoriam” presentation, which features a tribute to members of the film industry who have passed away in the year before. This year’s presentation included beloved names such as Harry Belafonte, Paul Reubens, and Carl Weathers. The presentation was criticized however, as some believed that the cameras filming the broadcast should not have shown the entire stage, as the dancers were seen as distracting and in the way of the actual presentation.
This is nn abridged list of films and actors that won awards:
- Best Picture: Oppenheimer
- Best Director: Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer
- Best Actor: Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer
- Best Actress: Emma Stone in Poor Things
- Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer
- Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers
- Best Original Screenplay: Anatomy of a Fall
- Best Adapted Screenplay: American Fiction
- Best Animated Picture: The Boy and the Heron
- Best International Feature Film: The Zone of Interest
- Best Original Song: “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish from Barbie
- Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer
- Best Visual Effects: Godzilla Minus One
