DUBAI: Historical feats, shocking victories, and an energetic lineup of musical performances – these were the highlights of the 91st Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Kicking off the ‘host-less’ awards show was British rock band Queen, represented by two of its original members and American Idol star Adam Lambert. The act comes as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a biopic of the band’s front man Freddie Mercury, won four Oscar trophies in total, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Editing, and Best Actor for American-Egyptian Rami Malek.
“Black Panther” was also big winner, taking three technical awards – Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. The first two awards were historical, as both were won by African-American women, a first in Oscar’s long history. The blockbuster, which was the first movie screened in Saudi Arabia, also made history by being the first superhero film to be nominated for the Best Picture award, the Oscars’ highest honor.
Other historical feats include “Green Book” actor Mahershala Ali’s win as Best Supporting Actor – his second win in a row.
Ali dedicated his award to his grandmother, whom he said told him “that I could do anything I put my mind to” and pushed him “to think positively.”
Perhaps one of the biggest moments of the night was the announcement of the Best Actress, in which British actress Olivia Colman pulled a shocker for her performance in “The Favourite,” edging out awards season darling Glenn Close.
Complete list of winners:
Best Costume Design - Ruth Carter, “Black Panther”
Best Production Design - Hannah Bleacher, “Black Panther”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling – “Vice”
Best Sound Editing – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Best Sound Mixing – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Best Cinematography - Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma”
Best Editing – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Best Visual Effects - “First Man”
Best Original Score - “Black Panther”
Best Documentary Feature – “Free Solo”
Best Animated Feature – “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse”
Best Foreign Film – “Roma” (Mexico)
Best Animated Short – “Bao”
Best Live Action Short - "Skin"
Best Documentary Short – “Period. End of Sentence.”
Best Original Screenplay - “Green Book”
Best Adapted Screenplay - “BlacKkKlansman”
Best Original Song - Shallow, “A Star Is Born”
Best Supporting Actress - Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Best Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Best Actor - Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Best Actress - Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Best Director - Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma”
Best Picture - “Green Book”
