All eyes were on the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday night as Hollywood’s finest came out to celebrate the year in film at the 90th Annual Academy Awards.
This year’s ceremony capped off an awards season defined by the #MeToo movement, which went viral after sexual misconduct allegations regarding producer Harvey Weinstein spread in October 2017.
In addition, the Oscars still grappled with its “too white” image from the 2016 ceremony, bringing two facets of diversity to a head in this year’s ceremony. While there is still progress needed on both fronts, this year’s awards saw a range of stories and viewpoints represented in the winner’s circle.
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Landmark wins and displays of solidarity were the highlights of the evening. “The Shape of Water” — which documents the love story between a custodian and a human-amphibian creature in 1962 Baltimore — was the big winner of the night, taking home four awards including the coveted Best Picture statuette. The Academy honored Guillermo del Toro with Best Director for his work on the film, becoming the last of “The Three Amigos of Cinema” to win an Oscar for his directorial efforts. This group consists of del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro G. Iñárritu, all of which the Academy has honored in the past five years.
The awards for both Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay held significance Sunday. Jordan Peele received the former Oscar for his original work, “Get Out,“ which marked the first time an African-American won an award in this category. The Academy also honored Peele with nominations in the Best Director and Best Picture categories for his thrilling, racially-charged film, though these ultimately fell to “The Shape of Water.”
“Call Me by Your Name” garnered James Ivory’s first Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, making him the oldest person to win at 89-years-old.
When Frances McDormand won the Best Supporting Actress honor for “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbings, Missouri,” she asked all of the female Oscar nominees to stand and be recognized for their importance while men still fail to treat women with the same respect as men in the industry.
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Rita Moreno — described as simply a “guest” at the Golden Globes earlier this year despite holding the distinction of winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — got the last laugh. She presented the award for Best Foreign-Language Film wearing her dress from the 1962 Oscars ceremony.
While women still lost out in many categories this year, they were at least nominated in key categories. Greta Gerwig received a nod for Best Director with her work on “Ladybird,“ which ended the evening snubbed with no wins.
Overall, the 90th edition of the Academy Awards marked progress toward a more diverse and inclusive Hollywood, while still honoring the best and brightest of the industry.
