The 98th Academy Awards were not only a night of firsts, but a night to rewrite history.
During the opening monologue, two-time Oscar host and comedian Conan O’Brien exclaimed that the show was an international event, with 31 countries represented.
“We pay tribute tonight not just to film but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience, and the rarest of qualities today, optimism,” O’Brien said.
He acknowledged the recent immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles, subtly, with a language bit speaking to Spanish-speaking cities across the world, Los Angeles included.
The first award of the night was given to Amy Madigan, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Weapons.” With her first Oscar win at 75, she came to the press room praising horror films and acknowledging “Sinners.”
“It deals with such racial inequities, but yet they do it in this vampire way,” Madigan said. “I like DEI because everybody can be in the mix. It makes me feel really happy.”
Admiration for “Sinners” lasted all night. With 16 Oscar nominations and four wins, each one made history.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw brought home the film’s first win, making history as the first woman of color nominated and the first woman to win in the cinematography category. When asked what she hopes her win would mean for more representation, she said that little girls would know the career of a cinematographer exists.
“A lot of little girls that look like me will sleep really well tonight because they’ll want to become cinematographers,” Arkapaw said.
“Sinners,” a movie inspired by director Ryan Coogler’s uncle, has won over 200 awards since its release last May.
“I’m so proud that he gave me the gift of his stories about Mississippi, that he played blues music for me and talked to me about it,” Coogler shared in the press room. “He continues to give me gifts from where he is now.”
Coogler became the second Black director to win Best Original Screenplay, behind Jordan Peele in 2018 for “Get Out.” The “Sinners” celebration continued as composer Ludwig Göransson brought home his third Oscar for Best Original Score.
Sinner’s fourth and final win was given to Michael B. Jordan for Best Lead Actor, making him the sixth Black actor to win. During his acceptance speech Jordan thanks Warner Bros. executives for “betting on the culture, and betting on original ideas and original artistry.”
On the acceptance stage and in the press room Jordan made sure to acknowledge the actors that paved the way for him.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me: Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith,” Jordan said.
He ended his speech by thanking fans for supporting the movie and seeing it more than once, telling the audience they “made the movie what it is.”
Continuing to move with gratitude, in the press room Jordan said the support he’s received over 25 years in the industry motivates him to make his parents, and collaborators like Coogler proud.
“There’s a lot of people who’ve seen me grow up in this industry and grow up in this town and they looked out for me when they didn’t have to,” Jordan said. “I’m really big on the next generation…so I like to lead by example.”
During acceptance speeches and presenter monologues, many took a moment to reflect on political tensions in the U.S. and across the world. When presenting the award for Best International Feature actor Javier Bardem said “no to war, and free Palestine.”
Before reading the nominations for documentaries, late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at the country’s censorship, stating that some countries don’t allow freedom of speech, grouping together North Korea and CBS for a punch line.
Both documentary wins aligned with tonight’s theme of protecting the younger generation. Netflix’s “All the Empty Rooms” won Best Short Documentary, a film following the families of four children killed in school shootings. During his acceptance speech, director Joshua Seftel brings up the mother of Jackie Cazares, a 9-year-old girl killed in the Uvalde shooting.
“We believe that if the world could see their empty bedrooms, we’d be a different America,” Gloria Cazares said.
Throughout the show, many addressed the current political climate, with Paul Thomas Anderson dedicating “One Battle After Another” to his children.
“I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them. But also, with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency,” Anderson said.
“One Battle After Another” brought home six Oscars, the most awards of any film, winning the inaugural Best Casting award, won by Anderson’s long-time friend and colleague Cassandra Kulukundis. Concluding their streak, Anderson won three awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Motion Picture.
Many viewers across the world wanted to see Coogler make history as the first Black director to win in the Best Director category. Fans decided to let the Academy know on Instagram Coogler should have also won Best Picture by leaving memes of Sinners in the comments.
While “Sinners” fans didn’t get the wins they wanted, they were happy to see Misty Copeland come out of retirement dancing during the “Sinners” musical performance. “I Lied to You” nominated for Best Original Song was led by Miles Canton and Raphael Saadiq recreating the film’s famous juke joint sequence with special guests like Shaboozey, Buddy Guy, Alice Smith and more.
Last night was more than an awards show; it was a cultural movement, leaving entertainers wishing for better days ahead.