The Oscars, formally known as the Academy Awards, is one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in the world of film. The event is organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and has been held annually since 1929. The Oscars recognize outstanding achievements in various categories, including acting, directing, producing, writing, and technical aspects of film production. In this article, we will discuss the history, significance, and various aspects of the Oscar awards ceremony.
History of the Oscars
The idea for the Oscars was conceived by Louis B. Mayer, the co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), as a way to honor outstanding achievements in the film industry. Mayer collaborated with other leading figures in the film industry, including Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Sid Grauman, to create the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in 1927. The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
Initially, the Academy Awards ceremony was a small event attended by around 250 people, and the entire ceremony lasted only 15 minutes. However, as the years went by, the Oscars grew in stature, and the ceremony became a highly anticipated event in the entertainment industry. Today, the Oscars is a globally televised event that is watched by millions of people worldwide.
Categories and Nominations
The Oscars recognize outstanding achievements in various categories, including acting, directing, producing, writing, and technical aspects of film production. The categories and the number of nominations in each category have varied over the years, but the current categories for the 2022 Oscars are:
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Animated Feature
- Best International Feature Film
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best Original Song
- Best Original Score
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
- Best Production Design
- Best Costume Design
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Best Sound
- Best Visual Effects
Oscar Nominations of 2023
Best picture
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- Avatar: The Way of Water
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- Elvis
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- The Fabelmans
- Tár
- Top Gun: Maverick
- Triangle of Sadness
- Women Talking
Best actress
- Cate Blanchett - Tár
- Ana de Armas - Blonde
- Andrea Riseborough - To Leslie
- Michelle Williams - The Fabelmans
- Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best actor
- Austin Butler - Elvis
- Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin
- Brendan Fraser - The Whale
- Paul Mescal - Aftersun
- Bill Nighy - Living
Best supporting actress
- Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Hong Chau - The Whale
- Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin
- Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Stephanie Hsu - Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best supporting actor
- Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin
- Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway
- Judd Hirsch - The Fabelmans
- Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin
- Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best director
- Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin
- Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Steven Spielberg - The Fabelmans
- Todd Field - Tár
- Ruben Östlund - Triangle of Sadness
Best original screenplay
- The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonagh
- Everything Everywhere All at Once - Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
- The Fabelmans - Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg
- Tár - Todd Field
- Triangle of Sadness - Ruben Östlund
Best adapted screenplay
- All Quiet on the Western Front - Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Rian Johnson
- Living - Kazuo Ishiguro
- Top Gun: Maverick - Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie
- Women Talking - Sarah Polley
- Media caption,
- WATCH: Guillermo del Toro reacts to his Oscar nomination
Best animated feature
- Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
- Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
- The Sea Beast
- Turning Red
- All That Breathes - Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer
- All the Beauty and the Bloodshed - Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov
- Fire of Love - Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman
- A House Made of Splinters - Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström
- Navalny - Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris
Best international feature
- All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
- Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
- Close (Belgium)
- EO (Poland)
- The Quiet Girl (Ireland)
Best original song
- Applause - Tell It Like a Woman (Diane Warren)
- Hold My Hand - Top Gun: Maverick (Lady Gaga, BloodPop)
- Naatu Naatu - RRR (MM Keeravaani, Chandrabose)
- Lift Me Up - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and Ryan Coogler)
- This Is A Life - Everything Everywhere All at Once (Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski)
Best original score
- All Quiet on the Western Front - Volker Bertelmann
- Babylon - Justin Hurwitz
- The Banshees of Inisherin - Carter Burwell
- Everything Everywhere All at Once - Son Lux
- The Fabelmans - John Williams
Best cinematography
- All Quiet on the Western Front - James Friend
- Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths - Darius Khondji
- Elvis - Mandy Walker
- Empire of Light - Roger Deakins
- Tár - Florian Hoffmeister
Best visual effects
- All Quiet on the Western Front - Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar
- Avatar: The Way of Water - Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett
- The Batman - Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohy
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White, Dan Sudick
- Top Gun: Maverick - Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson, Scott R Fisher
Best film editing
- The Banshees of Inisherin - Mikkel EG Nielsen
- Elvis - Matt Villa, Jonathan Redmond
- Everything Everywhere All at Once - Paul Rogers
- Tár - Monika Willi
- Top Gun: Maverick - Eddie Hamilton
Best costume design
- Babylon - Mary Zophres
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Ruth E Carter
- Elvis - Catherine Martin
- Everything Everywhere All at Once - Shirley Kurata
- Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - Jenny Beavan
Best sound
- All Quiet on the Western Front - Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel, Stefan Korte
- Avatar: The Way of Water - Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Michael Hedges
- The Batman - Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, Andy Nelson
- Elvis - David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson, Michael Keller
- Top Gun: Maverick - Mark Weingarten, James H Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor
Best production design
- All Quiet on the Western Front - Christian M Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper
- Avatar: The Way of Water - Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, Vanessa Cole
- Elvis - Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn
- Babylon - Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino
- The Fabelmans - Rick Carter, Karen O'Hara
Best make-up and hairstyling
- All Quiet on the Western Front - Heike Merker, Linda Eisenhamerová
- The Batman - Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, Mike Fontaine
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Camille Friend, Joel Harlow
- Elvis - Mark Coulier, Jason Baird, Aldo Signoretti
- The Whale - Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, Anne Marie Bradley
Best live action short
- An Irish Goodbye
- Ivalu
- Le Pupille
- Night Ride
- The Red Suitcase
Best animated short
- The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
- The Flying Sailor
- Ice Merchants
- My Year of Dicks
- An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Best documentary short
- The Elephant Whisperers - Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
- Haulout - Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
- How Do You Measure a Year? - Jay Rosenblatt
- The Martha Mitchell Effect - Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison
- Stranger at the Gate - Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones