The 2024 Oscars Night once again brought together the brightest stars of the film industry to celebrate cinematic excellence and acknowledge the outstanding achievements of the past year. This year many funny scenes have been seen on the stage, but lot of touching and important moments were represented, too, highlighting the diverse range of emotions and experiences portrayed in cinema.
2023 has been a year full of many exciting new movies, such as “Barbie”, “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the flower moon”. These films have captivated audiences worldwide with their compelling narratives, stellar performances, and breathtaking visuals, setting the stage for an exhilarating Oscars Night.
As many people predicted, “Oppenheimer” has been the best 2023 movie, and it dominated the festival winning 7 out of all the 23 possible Awards. The movie about the atomic bomb and Manhattan Project won: the Best Picture Award, the Best Director Award (to Christopher Nolan), the Best Actor Award (to Cillian Murphy), the Best Supporting Actor Award (to Robert Downey Jr), the Best Film Editing Award (to Jennifer Lame), the Best Cinematography (to Hoyte van Hoytema) and the Best Original Score (to Ludwig Göransson). Furthermore, it was nominated for another 6 Awards, where it was ranked second.
The Best Actress Award goes to Emma Stone, star of the moving drama “Poor Things”. Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a suicidal young woman, is brought back to life by a scientist, Godwin Baxter. Through the story, Bella strives for her liberation from this manipulative man. The film also won: the Best Design Award (to James Price, Shona Heath e Zsuzsa Mihalek), the Best Costume Design award (to Holly Waddington), the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Award (to Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier e Josh Weston).
A big revelation of this edition was definitely “The Zone of Interest”, which won the Best International Feature Film Award. It tells the story of the family life of the Auschwitz commandant and his wife. Contrasting this quietness is the horrific truth that lies just a few metres from them: the concentration camp. This movie also won the Best Sound Award (to Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn).
Many other important Awards has been assigned during the Night, here are the most important: the Best Supportive Actress to Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), the Best Adapted Screenplay to Cord Jefferson (American Fiction), the Best Screenplay to Justine Triet and Arthur Harari (Anatomy of a fall)and the Best Animated Feature to Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki (The boy and the Heron).
Not all the nominees won some Awards, just think to “Killers of the flower moon”. So, which ones are the best nominees? As said before, DiCaprio’s movie “Killers of the flower moon” was one of the most likely winners with 10 nominees, third to “Poor Things” (11 nominees, 4 Awards) and “Oppenheimer” (13 nominees, 7 Awards), but 0 Awards. Along with DiCaprio’s, another favourite movie was “Barbie” featuring the stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling with 8 nominees and only 1 Award. Another unfortunate movie was the Italian drama “Io, capitano” about migrants’ African routes to Europe, that placed second for the BestInternational Feature Film Award.
The wonderful night was completed by many significant scenes and hilarious gags. First of all was John Cena’s Best Costume Design Award presentation which the wrestler did with nothing on but an oversized envelope. Another funny moment was Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling’s sketch about “Barbenheimer” in which they mocked each other’s character, movie, and performance. Lastly, one of the most important moments of the night, Andrea Bocelli and his son’s lyrical song “Time to say goodbye”, a tribute to all the actors and musicians lost in the last year.
In conclusion, Oscar night 2024 was a triumph of talent, creativity, and vision. The winners proved to be true masters of their craft, carrying on the legacy of innovation and inspiration that characterises the film industry. As the spotlights went out on the Dolby Theatre, the world continues to be fascinated and inspired by the stories that only cinema can tell, as we await the next chapter of this extraordinary artistic adventure.
Nicolò Comini e Francesco Sampaolo.