The 2017 Academy Awards Overview
More stories from Christine Yoon
Diverse, political, distinct: three words to describe this year’s Academy Awards. Hosted by television comic personality Jimmy Kimmel, the 2017 Oscars seems to be a reaction to last year’s Academy backlash and the current political climate. The Academy Awards provide an outlet for different liberal topics, last year being primarily racial issues and this year President Trump’s political actions. Last year the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was popular because all twenty nominated actors were white and none were people of color, despite having films such as Beasts of No Nation and Creed. This year’s Oscars saw a much more diverse pool, with actors such as Mahershala Ali, Dev Patel, Viola Davis, Naomi Harris, Octavia Spencer, and Denzel Washington, because of both last year’s critics and this year’s racially diverse films such as Lion, Moonlight, Fences, and Hidden Figures. Furthermore, this year has been marked by its wide range of exceptional independent films, including Moonlight, La La Land, Arrival, and Manchester by the Sea, films that you’d be able to find in the Manhasset Theater.
The Oscars’ first performance was by Auli’i Cravalho from Moana, introduced by an original prologue by Lin-Manuel Miranda. A sixteen-year-old singer-actress, Auli’i bolstered herself as well as Pacific-Islander representation after the success of Moana. In her beautiful performance, audiences around the world sang along, tearing up as she captured the attention enjoyed by Lin-Manuel Miranda this year. After her performance were the Academy Awards presented.
Best Sound Mixing: The Oscar went to Hacksaw Ridge, the other nominees being La La Land, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Arrival. This was the first of fourteen Oscars nominated for La La Land.
Hairstyling and Makeup: The Oscar went to Suicide Squad, led by Giorgio Gregorini, Alessandro Bertolazzi, and Christopher Allen Nelson, winning the only Oscar for Suicide Squad. Fans can recall the distinct, fierce makeup of Joker, Harley Quinn, and Enchantress to recreate the comic-book characters in live action. The other nominees were A Man called Ove and Star Trek Beyond.
Best Sound Editing: The Oscar went to Arrival, as the film was less about action and more largely based upon the unique communication between the alien Heptapods and Louis Banks, the linguist professor portrayed by Amy Adams. The other nominees were La La Land, Hacksaw Ridge, Deepwater Horizon, and Sully. This was the second of fourteen Oscars nominated for La La Land.
Best Costume Design: The Oscar went to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as the costumes of wizards and Queenie were distinct, and symbolized the early twentieth century reentrance into the magical world of Harry Potter. The other nominees were Allied, Florence Foster Jenkins, Jackie, and La La Land, significantly less special than those of Fantastic Beasts. This was the third of fourteen Oscars nominated for La La Land.
Best Documentary Feature: The Oscar went to O.J.: Made in America, a new kind of documentary with a captivating plot, though well-known, with a subjective perspective, and excellent actors such as Sarah Paulson. The other nominees were Fire at Sea; I Am Not Your Negro; Life, Animated; and 13th.
Best Supporting Actor: The first Oscar that the majority of viewers tuned into, Best Supporting Actor went to Mahershala Ali from Moonlight, the first Muslim actor to win an Academy Award. The other nominees were Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals; Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water; Dev Patel, Lion; and Lucas Hedge, Manchester by the Sea. One of the questions before the Academy Awards was whether Dev Patel would win, as he would be the first Indian actor to win an Oscar (Ben Kingsley, half-Indian, won for Gandhi). However, because of the recent political climate, Mahershala Ali’s win was fitting and well-welcomed.
Best Supporting Actress: The Oscar was presented by Mark Rylance, last year’s Best Supporting Actor. Making one of the first political comments, he talked about “opposition without hatred”, something that women seem to be better at than men, before presenting the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Reading through the list of nominees and without a delaying cliffhanger, Rylance immediately presented the Oscar to Viola Davis of Fences, who was well-speculated because of her many other wins before the Academy Awards for her role in the film. She had been previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Doubt and Best Leading Actress in The Help. The other nominees were Naomi Harris, Moonlight; Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea; Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures; and Nicole Kidman, Lion. In each of these actresses’ film clips, they showed raw emotion and a presentation of a believable character that were not themselves, thus presenting themselves all as excellent supporting actresses nonetheless. In addition, in the list of Best Supporting Actress nominees, three out of five of them were women of color, a new racially-inclusive list that defies last year’s hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.
Best Foreign Film: Jimmy Kimmel presented this year’s Academy theme, inspiration, citing David Letterman as his inspiration to becoming a comedic talk show host. The first video was of Charlize Theron, who was inspired by Shirley MacLaine and her strength in acting with her raw and real performances. Charlize Theron then came to present the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, joined by Shirley MacLaine, the nominees being Land of Mine (Denmark), A Man Called Ove (Sweden), Tanna (Australia), Toni Erdmann (Germany), and The Salesman (Iran). The Oscar went to The Salesman; however, the award was not received by the director out of respect for his country. He made a statement about President Trump’s ban on immigrants to the United States from seven Muslim countries, stating that it creates fear, causes aggression and war, and prevents democracy and war, the first major political remark of the night. He thus shaped that night’s atmosphere of seriousness and political agitation, making memorable the typically overlooked Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
The next performance was presented by Dev Patel, who spoke about the journalists captured and killed by ISIS and the suffering of the Syrian people before presenting Sting, who sang “The Empty Chair”, dedicated to the brave journalists who sacrificed their lives in order to discover important information for the people.
Best Animated Short Film: Hailee Steinfeld and Gael García Bernal presented the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. After the Oscar went to Piper, the first Short Film Oscar for Pixar in years, Bernal spoke about migrant workers, the real flesh-and-blood actors, “who travel the world, build families, tell stories, and build lives that cannot be divided.” Making another powerful political statement against another of President Trump’s controversial initiatives, he declared that “As a Mexican, as a Latin American, as a migrant worker, as a human being, I’m against any form of wall that wants to separate us.” The other nominees were Blind Vaysha, Borrowed Time, Pear Cider and Cigarettes, and Pearl.
Best Animated Feature Film: Again presented by the previous two people, the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar went to Zootopia, a film with profound meaning and themes such as racism and feminism, with the general message of being more powerful than fear of the other. Zootopia appeals to both children and adults with both its fun story and underlying meaning. The other nominees were Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini, and The Red Turtle.
Achievement in Production Design: The Oscar was presented by Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan of Fifty Shades Darker. Lightening the mood, Dakota Johnson looked at Jamie Dornan and said, “You look familiar.” Jamie Dornan replied, “I’m sure I do.” The Oscar went to La La Land, its first Oscar win and the fourth of fourteen nominations. The other nominees were Arrival, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Hail, Caesar!, and Passengers.
Characteristic of his typical show comedy using real people and their hilarious reactions, Jimmy Kimmel brought in people from a tour bus, who believe they are going to an Oscar costume and dress exhibit. Introducing them to the crowd of actors, Kimmel told one woman to not look into Ryan Gosling’s eyes, as he’s very handsome. He introduced her to her favorite actor, Denzel Washington, and showed her the “vagrant” Casey Affleck, with his scraggly, messy beard.
Achievement in Visual Effects: The Academy Award was preceded by a presentation about the magic of movies. People around the world stated their opinion on movies, saying that they trigger all the senses, make you live other lives, and move you. They call cinema an art that can unite people to cry and laugh together. Movies make viewers have perpetual epiphanies, and they are the universal language because of their magic. The Achievement in Visual Effect Oscar was presented by Felicity Jones and Riz Ahmed. The Oscar went to The Jungle Book, for its impressive visuals and eye-opening CGI of jungle animals. Today’s films have become advanced with their visual effects because of the technological developments with CGI. While Jungle Book had won for best visual effects, Doctor Strange could just as easily have won, with its Inception-esque, mind-warping visuals. The other nominees were Deepwater Horizon, Doctor Strange, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Achievement in Film Editing: The next video presentation on inspiration was by Seth Rogen, who grew up inspired by Michael J. Fox, especially in his performance in the Back to the Future film franchise. To Seth, Michael J. Fox was funny and cool, and inspired him to become an actor. Everything seemed real and present in the Back to the Future movies as well to Seth, noting that Doc’s outfits could realistically have been worn by Tilda Swinton today. Seth Rogen and Michael J. Fox got out of the time machine car at the Academy Awards stage, walking in future shoes to the front of the stage. Seth Rogen admitted that his final item on his bucket list was to sing Schuyler Sisters in front of the world, and the camera pans to Lin-Manuel Miranda, hysterically laughing at the Hamilton reference. After singing with Michael J. Fox, Seth Rogen presented the Oscar for Achievement in Film Editing. The Oscar went to Hacksaw Ridge, the nominees being Arrival, Hell or High Water, La La Land, and Moonlight. This was the fifth nomination for La La Land.
Talking to Sunny Pawar, the 8-year-old star of Lion, Jimmy Kimmel asked to recreate the iconic scene of Lion King. Joking that he would be Simba and Sunny would be the baboon, Jimmy Kimmel lifted Sunny Pawar in a dramatic recreation of the Circle of Life scene.
Best Documentary Short Subject: The Academy Award was presented by Salma Hayek and David Oyelowo. The Oscar went to The White Helmets, the director stating that the war with Syria should be ended as quickly as possible to stop bloodshed and save innocent lives. The other nominees were Extremis, 4.1 Miles, Joe’s Violin, and Watani: My Homeland.
Live Action Short Film: Salma Hayek presented the Award and the nominees, la femme et le tgv (The Railroad Lady), ennemis intérieurs (Enemies within), Silent Nights, Sing, and Time Code. The Oscar went to Sing, the director stating that the only people who can help us are kids, so parents need to raise them in a good way.
SciTech Awards: Jimmy Kimmel noted that in over two hours of the show, President Trump hadn’t tweeted. The SciTech Awards were introduced by John Cho and Leslie Mann, who concluded the award quickly since there had already been a secret Oscars ceremony for the SciTech Awards. Leslie Mann said that they were for the geniuses who make your dreams come true, and make Star Trek look like it’s actually filmed in space.
Achievement in Cinematography: The third video on inspiration was with Javier Bardem, who said that he was inspired by Meryl Streep. Together they presented the Academy Award for Achievement in Cinematography. The Oscar went to La La Land, its second Oscar win and sixth Academy Award nomination. The other nominees were Arrival, Lion, Moonlight, and Silence.
Jimmy Kimmel played another video of Celebrity Mean Tweets—one of the trademarks of Jimmy Kimmel Live!—Oscars edition.
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were the next presenters, to talk about the music of La La Land before introducing John Legend, performing “City of Stars”. The performance by John Legend was a foreshadowing of an important accomplishment for La La Land.
Best Original Score: Samuel L. Jackson told the audiences that the greatest movies can have many characteristics, such as great acting and its reality escape. To Jackson, the best movies make him leave the theater humming. Before the announcement of the winner, viewers can probably predict which film had won for Best Original Score, because of its recent success and characteristic of being the sole musical movie that was nominated. The Oscar went to La La Land, the third winning Academy Award of the night, and seventh Academy Award nomination. The other nominees were Lion, Jackie, Passengers, and Moonlight.
Best Original Song: Scarlett Johansson, who starred in the animated film, Sing!, this year, presented the nominees for Best Original Song. What was different but not unique was that one movie, La La Land, was nominated for two of its songs. While this has occurred before, with films such as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Dreamgirls, and Enchanted being nominated for three songs, each time the film had lost out on its three nominations. Because of these defeats, a new Academy rule had been reinstated so that only two nominations at most can be given per film. Predictions point to a win for “City of Stars”, which had won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, although “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” was the most commercially successful. The nominees were “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”, La La Land; “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”, Trolls; “City of Stars”, La La Land; “The Empty Chair”, Jim: The James Foley Story; “How Far I’ll Go”, Moana. The Oscar went to “City of Stars”, defying previous years’ typical loss with multiple nominations, paving the way for future for wins for twice-nominated films. The songwriter of “City of Stars”, Benj Pasek, thanked his mother for allowing him to quit the soccer league to go to music school, giving a bit of inspiration for aspiring songwriters. This was the fourth winning Academy Award for La La Land, and its eighth and ninth nominations (with “Audition”).
Jennifer Aniston presented the actors in memoriam to commemorate those lost that year, while Sara Bareilles performed.
In a comedic spin off the clips of inspiration, Jimmy Kimmel cited We Bought a Zoo as his source of inspiration because of Matt Damon’s role, with sarcasm only fans of Jimmy Kimmel would truly understand, as the Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon feud is a regular part of his show.
Best Original Screenplay: Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, real-life best friends, presented the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Matt Damon defended his role in We Bought a Zoo, stating that he actually liked his performance in the movie, in which Ben Affleck replied with incredulity, “Really?” The Oscar for Best Original Screenplay went to Manchester by the Sea. The nominees were Hell or High Water, La La Land, The Lobster, and 20th Century Women. This was the tenth nomination for La La Land.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Amy Adams, a 5-time Academy Award nominee, presented the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay, films that have been based off of books or other sources. The Oscar went to Moonlight, with the director stating that if you feel like you’re alone and not reflected, the Academy has “your back”. This statement was directed to minorities, who feel un- or misrepresented in the film industry, based off of last year’s Awards and the general film genre. The nominees were Arrival (in which Amy Adams starred in), Fences, Hidden Figures, and Lion.
After releasing the candy, Jimmy Kimmel decided to realize the cookies and donuts to give the audience food with greater substance. He even offered to release the coffee, jokingly.
Best Director: Halle Berry presented the Academy Award for Best Director. The previous winner was Alejandro Iñárritu, who won for Revenant as well as Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) the previous year, 2015. The Oscar went to Damien Chazelle, director of La La Land, the film’s fifth winning Oscar of the night, and its eleventh nomination. The nominees were Denis Villeneuve, Arrival; Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge; Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea; and Barry Jenkins, Moonlight.
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Brie Larson, last year’s Best Actress in a Leading Role, presented one of the most awaited Awards of the night. The Oscar went to Casey Affleck of Manchester by the Sea, his first Academy Award win and his second nomination. Before coming up to the podium, he received a kiss from his brother, Ben Affleck, who has won Academy Awards for directing but not for acting. Casey Affleck, like most Academy Award winners, was flabbergasted, and speechless. He cited Denzel Washington as one of the first people who taught him how to act, and was grateful to be able to be alongside him as one of the nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The camera panned to Denzel, who didn’t react. Affleck continued his unplanned speech before thanking the Academy. The other nominees were Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge; Ryan Gosling, La La Land; Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic; and Denzel Washington, Fences. This was the twelfth nomination for La La Land.
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio, last year’s Best Actor in a Leading Role and six-time Academy nominee, presented the nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role. He stated that for the best movies, viewers don’t see the leading actress but the person she’s become, as the actress brings the character to life. The Oscar went to Emma Stone of La La Land, winning her first Oscar of her second nomination, after her nomination for her supporting role in Birdman. Viewers can immediately detect Emma’s extreme nervousness, as she was excitedly shocked to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the most prestigious award for actresses. She stated that she was honored to stand alongside the other women nominees, and that her Oscar is a “confluence of luck and opportunity”, and “a symbol to continue her journey of work”. This was the sixth win for La La Land and its thirteenth nomination. The other nominees Isabelle Huppert, Elle; Ruth Negga, Loving; Natalie Portman, Jackie; and Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins.
Best Picture: The final Academy Award, and the most controversial of this year, was presented by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. In her introduction, Faye talked about exceptional films, and that some may even change your way of thinking, possibly hinting towards Arrival. Warren Beatty, opened the card with the title of the winner, taking his time, creating suspense, even making a strange face before deciding to show it to Dunaway. Dunaway stated the winner right away, La La Land, its seventh win and fourteenth and final nomination. As the directors and cast of La La Land came up, however, director Damien Chazelle saw the card and realized that La La Land had not won. He spoke to the microphone that the real winner was Moonlight, stating that it was “not a joke”, holding the paper up to the camera. Beatty was given the card for Best Actress in a Leading Role, written Emma Stone, La La Land, which was the source of his confusion. Thus, the winner for Best Picture went to Moonlight, and was not the seventh win for La La Land. After the show, Emma Stone stated how horrible her experience during the Best Picture fiasco. The other nominees were Hacksaw Ridge, Fences, Arrival, Hell or High Water, Lion, Hidden Figures, and Manchester by the Sea.
In conclusion, the 2017 Academy Awards dealt with all sorts of political and racial issues, with comedic tones by Jimmy Kimmel, and a real-life Hollywood ending. As we wait out the responses by supporters and opposers of the president’s political actions and feel the political climate become even more tense, we may see a similar but even more dramatic Academy Awards for 2018. Already, Oscar nominations have begun, with names such as Logan, Call Me By Your Name, James Mangold, and Carey Mulligan being tossed up in the air. Hopefully, the films will be as successful and gripping as this year’s diverse set of movies.