The greatest of all honours, the Oscar, has its fair share of triumphant and happy moments as well as disappointments and surprises every year. This year is no exception. On Monday morning, the 95th Academy Awards witnessed a few momentous moments: Asian performers Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, along with costume designer Ruth E. Carter, became the first Black women to win two Oscars, with “Naatu Naatu” winning best original song and becoming the first Indian film to win the award. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” led with five victories, followed closely by “All Quiet on the Western Front” with four.
Nonetheless, many noteworthy works go empty-handed as well. “Elvis,” “The Fabelmans,” “Banshees of Inisherin” and “Tar” did not win a single trophy despite 30 nominations between them, reported Variety, a US-based media company. Here’s a quick look at the biggest snubs and surprises of the Oscar night.
SNUB: Angela Bassett, Best Supporting Actress, “Wakanda Forever”
All season, the supporting actress category has been a bit of a question mark. While Bassett seemed the early frontrunner with wins from Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, neither of those voting bodies overlapped with the Oscars. So when Kerry Condon won BAFTA and Jamie Lee Curtis took home the SAG Award, the category started to look fairly open. Bassett still won kudos, however, getting a sweet shoutout from presenters Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors. “Hey, Auntie,” Jordan – who played her nephew in the first “Black Panther,” said as Majors added, “We love you.”
SNUB: Catherine Martin and “Elvis”
“Elvis” went into the night with an impressive eight nominations, including three for Martin in the picture, production design, and costume design. It looked like Austin Butler might take home lead actor after his BAFTA win for “Elvis,” but SAG Award winner Brendan Fraser ultimately triumphed in that category for his comeback vehicle “The Whale”, reported Variety.
SNUB: Mandy Walker, Best Cinematography, “Elvis”
History was made one week ago when Walker became the first female director of photography to take home the top prize at the American Society of Cinematographers Award in the feature film category – and it looked like she might repeat the win at the Oscars, becoming the first woman in the 95-year history of the Academy Awards. But ultimately the prize was taken by James Friend for his stunning work in “All Quiet on the Western Front.
SURPRISE: Ruth E. Carter, Best Costume Design, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
It’s hard to call it a shocker when someone as iconic as Carter takes home a prize, but a slight edge was given to Catherine Martin after she won the BAFTA. They competed in different categories at the Costume Designers Guild Award, where “Elvis” won for the period film while “Wakanda Forever” lost out to “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” – seeming to give Martin even more of an edge. But in the end, Carter not only triumphed on Oscar night, but she also became the first Black woman in history to win two Academy Awards.
SURPRISE: Volker Bertelmann, Best Original Score, “All Quiet on the Western Front”
While many experts predict that this category came down to two previous winners – Justin Hurwitz for his acclaimed “Babylon” score and five-time Oscar winner/legend John Williams. But it was German composer Bertelmann, previously nominated in this category for “Lion,” who took home his first Academy Award.