At the Academy Awards last Sunday, history was made.
Everything Everywhere All At Once received its flowers March 12 at the 95th Academy Awards. The film took home seven awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture. This win marked indie film distributor A24’s second film to receive Best Picture.
A few of its actors also received accolades as well. Notably, Michelle Yeoh made history as the first Asian-identifying woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress and the first non-white actress to win the award in 20 years. This win also made her the second woman of color in Oscar history to win Best Actress. Halle Berry, the first actress of color ever to receive the award, awarded Yeoh. Furthermore, Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor, making him the first Vietnam-born actor to win an Oscar and the second-ever Asian-identifying actor to win in this category.
Shortly after, co-star Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Supporting Actress, granting her first Oscan nomination and win in her nearly 50-year-long career. In this, she simultaneously denied fellow nominees co-star Stephanie Hsu and veteran actress Angela Bassett. Bassett, nominated for her role as Queen of Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, received attention due to her visible disappointment over her loss. Though some regarded her reaction as inappropriate, others perceived her reaction as a result of consistent Hollywood misogynoir and “snubbing.” Regardless, Bassett’s nomination cemented her in Marvel history, setting her as the first actor to receive a nomination for a role in a Marvel film.
For the same media but a different medium, Ruth E. Carter received an award for Best Costume Design for her work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, making her the first Black woman to win two Oscars. After being nominated two times prior, she became the first Black woman to win the Oscar in this category for her work on Black Panther.
“Naatu Naatu” won Best Original Song from the Indian film RRR. It made Oscar history as the first song from an Indian production to receive a nomination for this category and the first to win. The award served as a leap for South Asian representation. The film was spoken entirely in Telugu, a language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangan. Through this film, the stories and cultures are able to be brought to a different audience within popular media.
Originally Published 3/17/2023
