94. Oscars: glitz, glamor – and a slap in the face

Actually, there were many reasons to celebrate at the Oscars: for the makers of the best film “Coda”, for two German Oscar winners and for actor Will Smith. But he caused the scandal of the evening with a slap in the face.

This year’s Oscars brought the glitz and glamor of yesteryear back to Hollywood. However, the evening was overshadowed by a violent slap in the face that was not scheduled and shocked television viewers and the audience in Hollywood’s Dolby Theater.

This much is certain: the concept of relying on many musical interludes and excluding eight categories in a pre-recorded show has worked. The moderator trio with the three comedians Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes also set the right accents with their side swipes.

“Coda” is best film

The award for the best film went to the tragic comedy “Coda”. Director Siân Heder tells the story of a girl who grows up in a deaf fisherman’s family. The film won a total of three awards. This is the first time a film from a streaming service has won the Oscar in this category – the film is being shown on Apple TV+.

The best moment of the evening therefore also belonged to the deaf actor Troy Kotsur, who received the Oscar for his supporting role in “Coda”. The 53-year-old is the second deaf actor in Oscar history to receive this award. Kotsur’s moving speech was translated by an interpreter:

Two German Oscar winners

From a German point of view, too, things went perfectly at this 94th Oscar ceremony. Swabian Gerd Nefzer was awarded his second Oscar in the “Visual Effects” category for his work in the sci-fi film “Dune”. Opposite of ARD he said: “I want to say to my German fans, I never believed that I would win an Oscar. I did it. You just have to believe in what you do and work hard.” In 2018 Nefzer had already received an award for “Blade Runner 2049”.

The science fiction epic received the most awards at these Oscars overall – including for best film music. It was created by the Frankfurt-born composer Hans Zimmer. It’s also the second Oscar for him – but with a gap of 30 years. At that time Zimmer had received the award for the music in the film “The Lion King”.

Awards for Jessica Chastain and Ariana DeBose

As expected, New Zealand director Jane Campion received the director’s Oscar for her film “The Power of the Dog”. This should be the only award for the most favorite Netflix production, which had entered the race with a total of twelve nominations.

Best Actress this year is Jessica Chastain for her role in the drama The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

The “James Bond” theme song by Billie Eilish and the animated film “Encanto” also received awards. The Oscar for Best Foreign Film went to Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car.” Ariana DeBose won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the musical West Side Story. She told the audience, “You see an openly queer, non-white woman, an Afro-Latina, who has found her strength and life through art.”

First a slap, then an award

The ugliest moment of the night was between comedian Chris Rock and actor Will Smith. Rock had reached out to Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during his moderation, and quipped, “GI Jane 2 – I can’t wait to see this.” – a reference to the movie “GI Jane”, in which Demi Moore shaved her head as a soldier. Jada Pinkett Smith has been open about her hair loss in the past.

Will Smith then stormed onto the stage and punched Rock in the face. Shut the fuck up, Smith yelled. The sound was quickly faded out on US television. What remained was an almost speechless Chris Rock. It was unclear whether it was an actual outburst of anger or a prearranged scene.

Minutes later, Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for the biographical film King Richard, about tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. With tears streaming down his face, Smith said, “In this business, you have to be able to take abuse. People rave about you. You have to accept that people don’t respect you. And you have to smile and pretend it would be okay. I hope the Academy invites me back.”

War against Ukraine hardly discussed

Contrary to what was assumed, the war against Ukraine played only a minor role. Many stars wore blue ribbons, there was a minute’s silence on the show and a panel was displayed calling for solidarity with Ukraine. Overall, however, Hollywood celebrities held back with comments.

Actor Sean Penn had previously called for a boycott of the gala if it took place without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He himself would “melt down” his two Oscar statues in protest, Penn said. Selenskyj was not added to the Dolby Theater.