11/03/2024 - European (co-)productions lead the list of winners, with Oppenheimer coming out on top and Poor Things not far behind

Jonathan Glazer with his Oscar for The Zone of Interest (© A24) and Arthur Harari and Justine Triet with theirs for Anatomy of a Fall (© Neon)

The wait is over – the 96th Academy Awards were handed out last night, seven weeks after the nominees were announced (see the news), and this edition saw the strongest participation of international films so far. The two most-nominated non-English-language films, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile] and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], shone bright at the ceremony.

While Anatomy of a Fall was the main juggernaut this awards season, the film received just one award. The movie picked up the Best Original Screenplay statuette, for both Triet’s and co-writer Arthur Harari’s work. “This Oscar will help me through my midlife crisis,” a visibly moved Triet joked, before looking back at the origin of the scriptwriting process, alongside her partner Harari during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and then thanking all the cast for their work on her film. Harari thanked producers David Thion and Marie-Ange Luciani, as “between us, there was only total independence and freedom, which was the only way we could make this film”. As a reminder, the picture was out of the Best International Film category after having been withdrawn by France as its submission.

In this context, the award went to the other European favourite, The Zone of Interest. Glazer accepted the statuette and made a brave and just speech on the film and the current situation in Palestine. “All of our choices were made to reflect us and challenge us in the present not to say, ‘Look what they did then’; rather, ‘Look what we do now.’ Our film shows where dehumanisation leads at its worst. It has shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of 7 October in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanisation, how do we resist?” The director went on to thank Alexandra, a 90-year-old woman whom he met during his research and who inspired the thermal-imaging camera scenes about a teenage girl attempting to help the prisoners at night, describing her as “the girl who glows in the film as she did in real life” and dedicating the award “to her memory and her resistance”.

Rather surprisingly, but fully deservedly, The Zone of Interest grabbed a second statuette, in the Best Sound category, for the chilling and astounding work of Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn.

As for the English-language films, the two leading winners were the two most-nominated films, both European co-productions. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] went on to win seven awards, including Best Picture and Director, as well as Best Actor for Ireland’s Cillian Murphy, Best Cinematography for Dutch-Swedish DoP Hoyte van Hoytema and Best Original Score for Swedish artist Ludwig Göransson. The other big winner of the night, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Suzy Bemba
Q&A: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile], ended up taking home four awards: Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design.

Furthermore, as expected, the Best Documentary category saw a win for the Ukrainian doc 20 Days in Mariupol [+see also:
film review
interview: Mstyslav Chernov
film profile], directed by Mstyslav Chernov. While accepting the award, the filmmaker and journalist reminded the audience that this was the first Oscar in Ukrainian history. “I’m honoured, but I’ll probably be the first director on this stage to say I wish I had never made this film. I wish I could say Russia never attacked us and never occupied our cities. I wish Russia would release all of the hostages and all of the soldiers who are protecting their land, and the civilians who are now in their jails. Together, we can make sure that history sets the record straight, that the truth will prevail, and that this will never be forgotten, because cinema forms memories and memories form history,” he continued.

The other European nominees, including JA Bayona’s Society of the Snow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: JA Bayona
film profile], Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] and Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and İlker Çatak’s LUX Audience Award nominee The Teachers’ Lounge [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: İlker Çatak
interview: Leonie Benesch
film profile], left the ceremony empty-handed.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Picture
Oppenheimer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Christopher Nolan (USA/UK)

Best Director
Christopher Nolan - Oppenheimer

Best Actress
Emma Stone - Poor Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Suzy Bemba
Q&A: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile] (Ireland/USA/UK)

Best Actor
Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey, Jr – Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph - The Holdovers

Best International Feature Film
The Zone of Interest [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Jonathan Glazer (UK/Poland/USA)

Best Documentary Feature
20 Days in Mariupol [+see also:
film review
interview: Mstyslav Chernov
film profile] - Mstyslav Chernov (Ukraine)

Best Animated Feature
The Boy and the Heron - Hayao Miyazaki (Japan)

Best Original Screenplay
Arthur Harari, Justine Triet - Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile] (France)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Cord Jefferson - American Fiction

Best Cinematography
Hoyte van Hoytema - Oppenheimer

Best Visual Effects
Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, Tatsuji Nojima - Godzilla Minus One (Japan)

Best Editing
Jennifer Lame - Oppenheimer

Best Production Design
Poor Things - Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Mark Couler, Nadia Stacey, Josh Weston - Poor Things

Best Costume Design
Holly Waddington - Poor Things

Best Sound
Tarn Willers, Johnnie Burn - The Zone of Interest

Best Original Score
Ludwig Göransson – Oppenheimer

Best Original Song
“What Was I Made For?”— Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell (Barbie)

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Last Repair Shop - Ben Proudfoot, Kris Bowers

Best Live Action Short
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - Wes Anderson

Best Animated Short
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko - Dave Mullins