Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer dominated the Oscars 2024 taking home seven awards including best picture, best actor and best director at the 96th Academy Awards.
The drama, telling the story of the “father of the atomic bomb”, was nominated in 13 categories. Poor Things was nominated in 11 categories, Killers of the Flower Moon in 10 and Barbie had eight nominations.
Cillian Murphy was named best actor for his performance, beating out Paul Giamatti and Jeffrey Wright, and Robert Downey Jr was named best supporting actor for his portrayal of US government official Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, up against Robert De Niro and Ryan Gosling.
Late-night veteran Jimmy Kimmel returned to host the Oscars for the fourth time since 2017. Ryan Gosling performed his nominated song “I’m Just Ken” in a diamond-studded pink suit surrounded by dancing Kens, including stars from the film.
Highlights of Oscars 2024
- Cillian Murphy named best actor for for “Oppenheimer.”
- “Oppenheimer” won best picture.
- Emma Stone won best actress for “Poor Things.”
- Christopher Nolan won best director for “Oppenheimer.”
- Robert Downey Jr won best supporting actor award.
Cillian Murphy becomes first Irish man to win Best Actor at the Oscars
Murphy, who is the first ever Irish-born winner in his category, continued: “I’m a very, very proud Irish man standing here tonight.
Winning his first Oscar from his first nomination, Murphy said “I’m a little overwhelmed,” before dedicating his award to the peacemakers. “We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb, and for better or for worse, we are all living in Oppenheimer’s world, so I’d like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere,” he said.
Murphy, who played physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer as he led the race to build the first atomic bomb, thanked his parents Brendan and Mary and his wife, Yvonne McGuinness, “my partner in life and art”, and “my two boys, Malachy and Aran, who are sitting up there – I love you so much.”
Emma Stone wins best actress Oscar for Poor Things
Emma Stone picked up her second career Oscar and second best actress trophy for “Poor Things,” which had the second-most wins with four total. Stone joins Frances McDormand and Hilary Swank as the only two-time best actress winners this century.
Emma Stone acknowledged each of her fellow nominees for best actress, through tears. “The other night I was panicking as you can kind of see happens a lot, that maybe something like this could happen. And (‘Poor Things’ director) Yorgos (Lanthimos) said to me, ‘Please take yourself out of it and he was right, because it’s not about me. It’s about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts and that is the best part about making movies.”
Gaza in the spotlight at Oscars 2024
Near the venue of the Oscars ceremony, protesters called attention to the deadly conflict in Gaza, where the Palestinians have been facing a five-month-long Israeli military offensive. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in Israel’s military offensive.
Outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California, groups like the Los Angeles branch of Jewish Voice for Peace held up placards and chanted for a ceasefire in Gaza, blocking several lanes of traffic.
Director Jonathan Glazer focused on the war in Gaza in his acceptance speech at the Oscars as he accepted the Oscar for best international feature for “The Zone of Interest.”
“Our film shows where dehumanization leads, at its worst,” Glazer said. “Right 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 humanization, how do we resist?”
Glazer said he hopes the film will draw attention to current conflicts in the world. “All our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present. Not to say, Look what they did then, rather look what we do now, Glazer said. “Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present.”
Ukraine wins first ever Oscar with 20 Days in Mariupol as best documentary
The war in Gaza was not the only international conflict to grab the Oscar spotlight. With a win in the Best Documentary Feature category, the film “20 Days in Mariupol” renewed attention about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In his documentary, filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov captured the early days of that war, as the southeastern city of Mariupol faced Russian bombing. Chernov said it’s a movie about “tough things” but it’s also “important to show the real picture” of life in Ukraine. The film was a collaboration between Associated Press and PBS’ Frontline.
2024 Oscar Winners
Best Picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer (Winner)
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best Director
Justine Triet — Anatomy of a Fall
Martin Scorsese — Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan — Oppenheimer (Winner)
Yorgos Lanthimos — Poor Things
Jonathan Glazer — The Zone of Interest
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper — Maestro
Colman Domingo — Rustin
Paul Giamatti — The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy — Oppenheimer (Winner)
Jeffrey Wright — American Fiction
Best Actress
Annette Bening — Nyad
Lily Gladstone — Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller — Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan — Maestro
Emma Stone — Poor Things (Winner)
Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown — American Fiction
Robert De Niro — Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. — Oppenheimer (Winner)
Ryan Gosling — Barbie
Mark Ruffalo — Poor Things
Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt — Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks — The Color Purple
America Ferrera — Barbie
Jodie Foster — Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph — The Holdovers (Winner)
Best Adapted Screenplay
American Fiction (Winner)
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best Original Screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall (Winner)
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives
Best Visual Effects
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
Best Costume Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things (Winner)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things (Winner)
Society of the Snow
Best Cinematography
El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer (Winner)
Poor Things
Best Production Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things (Winner)
Best Sound
The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest (Winner)
Best Film Editing
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer (Winner)
Poor Things
Best Original Score
American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer (Winner)
Poor Things
Best Original Song
“The Fire Inside” — Flamin’ Hot
“I’m Just Ken” — Barbie
“It Never Went Away” — American Symphony
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” — Killers of the Flower Moon
“What Was I Made For” — Barbie (Winner)
Best Animated Short Film
Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko (Winner)
Best Live-Action Short Film
The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Winner)
Best Documentary Short Film
The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop (Winner)
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó
Best Documentary Feature Film
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol (Winner)
Best International Feature Film
Io Capitano (Italy)
Perfect Days (Japan)
Society of the Snow (Spain)
The Teachers’ Lounge (Germany)
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom) (Winner)
Best Animated Feature Film
The Boy and the Heron (Winner)
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse