Awards
Gina Prince-Bythewood Condemns The Oscars’ Message After Black Female Led
Gina Prine-Bythewood is the director of the brand new 2023 film The Woman King. The film is set in 1800s Africa, where an all-woman army fights a foreign nation’s enemy to protect their homeland of Dahomey. The lead of the film is none other than the legendary veteran actress Viola Davis who has starred in films like Fences and Widows and TV shows such as How To Get Away With Murder. The actress was not nominated for Best Actress 2023, which was considered a major snub, with a lot of controversy rising for Andrea Riseborough’s nomination instead.
Prince-Bythewood’s Opinion On The Snubs
The Woman King director who has worked on films like The Old Guard and Beyond The Lights. The director felt that all the black female-created and led films were intentionally snubbed and left out in every category. She felt that the academy was delivering a certain message to her that she can no longer ignore.
The films that were ignored included Till by Chinonye Chukwu as well as Saint-Omer by Alice Diop. She talked to The Hollywood Reporter about what these snubs meant to her not only as a black director but as a woman:
I am currently a producer on a project, and the executives were adamant that the director we chose be a Black Oscar-winning director. While that sounds great, who would that be? In the 95-year history of the Academy Awards, no Black filmmaker has ever won best director. No Black woman has ever been nominated.
It is true that the academy has had a long unforgivable history of racial biases, specifically towards black women. Viola Davis, the lead of The Woman King, has had one Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Fences. She has worked for just as long as Meryl Streep, who has won three Oscars in his lifetime and been nominated a whopping 21 times. No one could argue that Davis has played less impressive roles than Streep herself, and yet, she’s had only four total nominations. She talked about how she approached watching films:
I saw Everything Everywhere All at Once and Top Gun: Maverick because I heard they were really good. When you hear that, you go to the movie. Or you look at the trailer and say, “I want to see that. That looks good to me.” We, Black women, do not get that same grace. So the question we need to ask is, “Why is it so hard to relate to the work of your Black peers?” What is this inability of Academy voters to see Black women, and their humanity, and their heroism, as relatable to themselves?
Clearly, she feels hurt by the sheer intentional ignorance of the academy. Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler were the obvious choices for at least a Best Actress nomination, but that did not end up happening either. Andrea Riseborough gave a very impactful performance in To Leslie, however, the role was not talked about until the Oscars buzz.
Lots of celebrities began hosting screenings for the film, and it rose to fame in the eyes of the academy. Meanwhile, powerful performances by black female actresses were forgotten. Was this a deliberate move to cast out black female actresses, or was it just an innocent coincidence? Prince-Bythewood thinks it’s part of the lifelong quest of the academy to leave out black artists:
It’s a reflection of where the Academy stands and the consistent chasm between Black excellence and recognition. And, sadly, this is not just an issue in Hollywood but in every industry. I’m going to use a Dr. King quote because it is so apropos, in that he spoke on the “lie of [our] inferiority accepted as truth in the society dominating us.”
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The 2023 Oscars are already being called perhaps the best evening celebrating Hollywood in the past decade, with multiple stars making comebacks and finally getting the recognition and rewards they deserve. Two actors from the 1992 film Encino Man were not only nominated but also won the Oscars in their respective categories.
These were none other than Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan, who won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Among other winners were Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis, who won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for their roles in Everything Everywhere All at Once. The Oscars were executive produced by award show masters Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, who talked about the show and other details in an interview.
Producers And Oscars
The two got candid about how they expected to deliver the show and if it came to fruition or not. Overall, they felt convinced that they had done a great job even though their expectations may have been too high. The two were also pleased with Jimmy Kimmel’s un-slappable performance as the host of the evening.
“I haven’t read anything yet, so I hope I feel good in a half-hour! But we always say the metric is, “Do we feel that we produced the show that we set out to produce?” Because we set a high bar for ourselves,” said Kirshner. “I really feel that we delivered on what we said we would do — honoring the crafts and showing off the movies that were out there this year — and Jimmy scored, I thought.”
Weiss also mentioned that the vibe of the room was “really cool.” He felt that the buzz around the Oscars and the excitement in the room were pretty amazing. The two mentioned how they hadn’t seen any ratings so far, but they hoped that the ratings would be +7, which is a high number without a doubt. This would mean people watched the show live but will also watch it after recording or saving it on their devices later this week.
They mentioned how creating an interactive and immersive set was one of their biggest priorities:
“… for months we’ve been designing the set to be an immersive experience for the audience,” said Weiss. “So a winner’s name is announced, and as they’re walking up to the stage, pictures from their movie were surrounding the audience.”
It was earlier announced by the Academy that they were looking to sign a multi-year deal with producers as well as the host of the evening. This could mean that Weiss and Kirshner would return next year along with this year’s host, Jimmy Kimmel. However, when posed with the question, the executive producers laughed it off since they didn’t really have an answer. So it remains ambiguous if they will actually return for next year’s Oscars.
The 2023 Oscars were a beauty to behold. Great films were celebrated like never before, and representation was rather at the forefront. Films like Everything Everywhere All at Once took home multiple awards, while foreign films like RRR won awards that they rightfully deserved. This time around, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars. In his opening monologue, he joked about the infamous slap last year as well as the winner card fumble from the year before that. Thankfully, this time around, no controversy was found, and the award ceremony was not dragged down by inglorious moments. Here’s a list of the major winners of the evening.
Winners
Everything Everywhere All at Once was the big winner at the 2023 Oscars. Michelle Yeoh took home the award as Best Actress for the film. She was overjoyed and inspirational in her conduct and speech.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” she said as she accepted the award. “This is proof that dreams come true. And ladies…never let anybody tell you that you are past your prime.”
A truly inspirational figure, Yeoh has done everything to deserve that award. Other actors from the film, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan, also won awards in their respective categories of best supporting actress and actor.
“My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like these only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me,” said Huy Quan as he tearfully accepted his Oscar.
The film also won best picture as well as the award for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Other than that, All Quiet On The Western Front won Best International Foreign Film. Brendan Fraser was the winner of Best Actor for his monumental role in The Whale.
Best Sound went to Top Gun: Maverick and Best Original Song went to the Indian film RRR’s song Naatu Naatu which was also performed live at the Oscars. Overall, it has been a brilliant day of well-deserving candidates winning their awards and becoming etched in history for a long time to come. Here is the complete list of winners at the 2023 Oscars:
Best Picture:
Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
The Banshees of Inisherin
Tár
The Fabelmans
Top Gun: Maverick
All Quiet on the Western Front
Elvis
Triangle of Sadness
Women Talking
Best Director
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
Ruben Östlund — Triangle of Sadness
Martin McDonagh — The Banshees of Inisherin
Todd Field — Tár
Steven Spielberg — The Fabelmans
Best Actor
Brendan Fraser — The Whale—Winner
Paul Mescal — Aftersun
Bill Nighy — Living
Colin Farrell — The Banshees of Inisherin
Austin Butler — Elvis
Best Actress
Michelle Yeoh — Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
Andrea Riseborough — To Leslie
Michelle Williams — The Fabelmans
Cate Blanchett — Tár
Ana de Armas — Blonde
Best Supporting Actor
Ke Huy Quan — Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
Brian Tyree Henry — Causeway
Judd Hirsch — The Fabelmans
Brendan Gleeson — The Banshees of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan — The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Supporting Actress
Jamie Lee Curtis—Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
Hong Chau — The Whale
Stephanie Hsu — Everything Everywhere All at Once
Angela Bassett — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Kerry Condon — The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Animated Feature Film
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio—Winner
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Best Documentary Feature
Navalny—Winner
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
All That Breathes
Fire of Love
A House Made of Splinters
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
An Irish Goodbye—Winner
Le Pupille
The Red Suitcase
Ivalu
Night Ride
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
All Quiet on the Western Front—Winner
Empire of Light
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Elvis
Tár
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
The Whale—Winner
All Quiet on the Western Front
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Batman
Elvis
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—Winner
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Elvis
Babylon
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
All Quiet on the Western Front—Winner
Close
The Quiet Girl
Argentina, 1985
EO
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Elephant Whisperers—Winner
Haulout
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Stranger At the Gate
How Do You Measure a Year?
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse—Winner
My Year of Dicks
Ice Merchants
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe I
The Flying Sailor
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
All Quiet on the Western Front—Winner
Babylon
Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
The Fabelmans
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
All Quiet on the Western Front—Winner
The Banshees of Inisherin
Babylon
The Fabelmans
Everything Everywhere All at Once
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: The Way of Water—Winner
The Batman
All Quiet on the Western Front
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Top Gun: Maverick
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
The Fabelmans
Tár
Triangle of Sadness
The Banshees of Inisherin
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Women Talking—Winner
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Top Gun: Maverick
All Quiet on the Western Front
Living
BEST SOUND
Top Gun: Maverick—Winner
Elvis
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Batman
Avatar: The Way of Water
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Naatu Naatu—RRR—Winner
“Hold My Hand” — Top Gun: Maverick
“Applause” — Tell It Like a Woman
“Lift Me Up” — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“This Is a Life” — Everything Everywhere All At Once
BEST FILM EDITING
Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
The Banshees of Inisherin
Tár
Elvis
Top Gun: Maverick
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Ruth E. Carter is a 62-year-old veteran American costume designer. She’s had a vast career and a playing field that spans far above and below her recent projects. She has previously worked in over 30 films where she put her best foot forward and showcased her talent.
Straight out of Hampton University, Carter showed brilliance in her field of work. She has previously worked on Malcolm X, Spike Lee’s passion project, as well as Amistad, perhaps a lesser-known Steven Spielberg film. While the legendary costume designer has been nominated for an Oscar a total of four times, she made history at the 2023 Oscars as she became the very first black woman to have two Oscars to her name.
Carter and Black Panther
Ruth Carter has also worked on the original Black Panther film that starred the late Chadwick Boseman. At the time, Carter won the academy award in the same category as Black Panther and became the first African-American to win an award for costume design. And now, for the sequel of the same film, the designer made history by holding the golden lady not just once but twice.
“Nice to see you again,” Carter said as she took the stage. “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman. She endures, she loves, she overcomes, she is every woman in this film.”
Said Carter, the designer, was also honoring the memory of her late mother, who recently passed away at the age of 101. In her acceptance speech, she also looked up and asked the late Chadwick Boseman to take care of her mother.
She later thanked the academy as well as Kevin Feige and the producers behind Marvel and Black Panther for having great trust in her. She is a true icon and a celebrity to never forget.
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