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㽶ƵֱOppenheimer㽶Ƶֱ wins best picture at Academy Awards, Emma Stone takes best actress

Blockbuster biopic earns total of seven Oscars
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Emily Blunt, from left, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh pose for photographers at the premiere for the film 㽶ƵֱOppenheimer㽶Ƶֱ on July 13, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)

㽶ƵֱOppenheimer,㽶Ƶֱ a solemn three-hour biopic that became an unlikely billion-dollar box-office sensation, was that doubled as a coronation for Christopher Nolan.

After passing over arguably Hollywood㽶Ƶֱs foremost big-screen auteur for years, the Oscars made up for lost time by heaping seven awards on , including best actor for , best supporting actor for and .

In anointing 㽶ƵֱOppenheimer,㽶Ƶֱ the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences did something it hasn㽶Ƶֱt done for more than a decade: . In a film industry where a cape, dinosaur or Tom Cruise has often been a requirement for such box office, 㽶ƵֱOppenheimer㽶Ƶֱ brought droves of moviegoers to theaters with a complex, fission-filled drama about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb.

㽶ƵֱFor better or worse, we㽶Ƶֱre all living in Robert Oppenheimer㽶Ƶֱs world,㽶Ƶֱ said Murphy in his acceptance speech. 㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱd like to dedicate this to the peacemakers.㽶Ƶֱ

As a film heavy with unease for human capacity for mass destruction, 㽶ƵֱOppenheimer㽶Ƶֱ also emerged 㽶Ƶֱ even over its partner in cultural phenomenon, 㽶ƵֱBarbie㽶Ƶֱ 㽶Ƶֱ as a fittingly foreboding film for times rife with cataclysm, man-made or not. Sunday㽶Ƶֱs Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles unfolded against the backdrop of and , and with a potentially momentous U.S. election on the horizon.

The most closely watched contest of the went to Emma Stone, who won best best actress for her performance as Bella Baxter in 㽶ƵֱPoor Things.㽶Ƶֱ In what was seen as the night㽶Ƶֱs most nail-biting category, Stone won over of 㽶ƵֱKillers of the Flower Moon.㽶Ƶֱ Gladstone would have become the first Native American to win an Academy Award.

Instead, Oscar voters couldn㽶Ƶֱt resist the full-bodied extremes of Stone㽶Ƶֱs 㽶ƵֱPoor Things㽶Ƶֱ performance. The win for Stone, her second best actress Oscar following her 2017 win for 㽶ƵֱLa La Land,㽶Ƶֱ confirmed the 35-year-old as arguably the preeminent big-screen actress of her generation. The list of women to win best actress two or more times is illustrious, including Katharine Hepburn, Frances McDormand, Ingrid Bergman and Bette Davis.

㽶ƵֱOh, boy, this is really overwhelming,㽶Ƶֱ said Stone, who fought back tears and a broken dress during her speech.

Sunday㽶Ƶֱs broadcast had razzle dazzle, including a sprawling song-and-dance rendition of the by Ryan Gosling, with an assist on guitar by Slash and a sea of Kens who swarmed the stage.

But protest and politics intruded on an election-year , where demonstrations for Gaza raged outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Late during the show, host Jimmy Kimmel read a critical social media post from former president Donald Trump.

㽶ƵֱThank you for watching,㽶Ƶֱ said Kimmel. 㽶ƵֱIsn㽶Ƶֱt it past your jail time?㽶Ƶֱ

Nolan has had many movies in the Oscar mix before, including 㽶ƵֱInception,㽶Ƶֱ 㽶ƵֱDunkirk㽶Ƶֱ and 㽶ƵֱThe Dark Knight.㽶Ƶֱ But his win Sunday for direction is the . Addressing the crowd, Nolan noted cinema is just over a hundred years old.

㽶ƵֱWe don㽶Ƶֱt know where this incredible journey is going from here,㽶Ƶֱ said Nolan. 㽶ƵֱBut to think that I㽶Ƶֱm a meaningful part of it means the world to me.㽶Ƶֱ

Downey, nominated twice before (for 㽶ƵֱChaplin㽶Ƶֱ and 㽶ƵֱTropic Thunder㽶Ƶֱ), also notched his first Oscar, crowning the illustrious second act of his up-and-down career.

㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱd like to thank my terrible childhood and the academy, in that order,㽶Ƶֱ said Downey,

㽶ƵֱBarbie,㽶Ƶֱ last year㽶Ƶֱs biggest box-office hit with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales, ultimately won just one award: best song (sorry, Ken) for Billie Eilish and Finneas㽶Ƶֱ 㽶ƵֱWhat Was I Made For?㽶Ƶֱ It㽶Ƶֱs their second Oscar, two years after winning for their James Bond theme, 㽶ƵֱNo Time to Die.㽶Ƶֱ

But after an awards season that stayed largely inside a Hollywood bubble, geopolitics played a prominent role. Protests over Israel㽶Ƶֱs war in Gaza snarled traffic around the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, slowing stars㽶Ƶֱ arrival on the red carpet and turning the Oscar spotlight toward the . Some protesters shouted 㽶ƵֱShame!㽶Ƶֱ at those trying to reach the awards.

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Jonathan Glazer, the British filmmaker whose won best international film, drew connections between the dehumanization depicted in his film and today.

㽶ƵֱRight now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel, or the the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims, this dehumanization, how do we resist?㽶Ƶֱ

The war in Gaza was on the minds of many attendees, as was the war in Ukraine. A year after 㽶ƵֱNavalny㽶Ƶֱ won the same award, Mstyslav Chernov㽶Ƶֱs a harrowing chronicle of the early days of Russia㽶Ƶֱs invasion of Ukraine, won best documentary. The win, a first for The Associated Press and PBS㽶Ƶֱ 㽶ƵֱFrontline,㽶Ƶֱ came as the war in Ukraine passed the two-year mark with no signs of abating.

Mstyslav Chernov, the Ukrainian filmmaker and AP journalist , spoke forcefully about Russia㽶Ƶֱs invasion.

㽶ƵֱThis is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history,㽶Ƶֱ said Chernov. 㽶ƵֱAnd I㽶Ƶֱm honored. Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I㽶Ƶֱd never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this (for) Russia never attacking Ukraine.㽶Ƶֱ

In the early going, Yorgos Lanthimos㽶Ƶֱ Frankenstein-riff 㽶ƵֱPoor Things㽶Ƶֱ ran away with three prizes for including awards for production design, makeup and hairstyling and costume design.

Kimmel, hosting the ABC telecast for the fourth time, opened the awards with an monologue that emphasized Hollywood as 㽶Ƶֱa union town㽶Ƶֱ following 2023㽶Ƶֱs , drew a standing ovation for bringing out teamsters and behind-the-scenes workers 㽶Ƶֱ who are now entering their own labor negotiations.

The night㽶Ƶֱs first award was one of its most predictable: , for her performance in Alexander Payne㽶Ƶֱs 㽶ƵֱThe Holdovers.㽶Ƶֱ An emotional Randolph was accompanied to the stage by her 㽶ƵֱHoldovers㽶Ƶֱ co-star Paul Giamatti.

㽶ƵֱFor so long I㽶Ƶֱve always wanted to be different,㽶Ƶֱ said Randolph. 㽶ƵֱAnd now I realize I just need to be myself.㽶Ƶֱ

Though Randolph㽶Ƶֱs win was widely expected, an upset quickly followed. Hayao Miyazaki㽶Ƶֱs 㽶ƵֱThe Boy and the Heron㽶Ƶֱ , a surprise over the slightly favored 㽶ƵֱSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.㽶Ƶֱ Miyazaki, the 83-year-old Japanese anime master who came out of retirement to make 㽶ƵֱThe Boy and the Heron,㽶Ƶֱ didn㽶Ƶֱt attend the ceremony. He also didn㽶Ƶֱt attend the 2003 Oscars when his 㽶ƵֱSpirited Away㽶Ƶֱ won the same award.

Best original screenplay went to 㽶ƵֱAnatomy of a Fall,㽶Ƶֱ which, like 㽶ƵֱBarbie,㽶Ƶֱ was penned by a couple: director Justine Triet and Arthur Harari. 㽶ƵֱThis will help me through my midlife crisis, I think,㽶Ƶֱ said Triet.

In adapted screenplay, where 㽶ƵֱBarbie㽶Ƶֱ was nominated 㽶Ƶֱ and where some suspected Greta Gerwig would win after being overlooked for director 㽶Ƶֱ the Oscar went to , who wrote and directed his feature film debut 㽶ƵֱAmerican Fiction.㽶Ƶֱ He pleaded for executives to take risks on young filmmakers like himself.

㽶ƵֱInstead of making a $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies,㽶Ƶֱ said Jefferson, previously an award-winning TV writer.

The Oscars belonged largely to theatrical-first films. Though it came into the awards with 19 nominations, Netflix was a bit player. Its lone win came for live action short: Wes Anderson㽶Ƶֱs 㽶ƵֱThe Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,㽶Ƶֱ based on the story by Roald Dahl.

Historically, having big movies in the mix for the Oscars㽶Ƶֱ top awards has been good for broadcast ratings. The Academy Awards㽶Ƶֱ largest audience ever came when James Cameron㽶Ƶֱs 㽶ƵֱTitanic㽶Ƶֱ swept the 1998 Oscars.

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AP㽶Ƶֱs Ryan Pearson and Krysta Fauria contributed to this report

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press





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