It was that time of the year when not only the filmmakers and the actors, but also the audience worldwide wait with bated breath, as the results of months-long toil were announced at the most prestigious award ceremony of all time – The Oscars.
Spotlights were on. The red carpet was rolled out. The stage was set. And the crowd sat in anticipation and anxiousness. It was the biggest night for the cinema industry- the 89th Academy Awards. The award ceremony kicked off at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, 26 February, 2017.
Singer Justin Timberlake started the evening with his Oscar nominated “Can’t Stop the Feeling” from the film Trolls, and the crowd swayed with him. Host Jimmy Kimmel took over from then on. Acclaimed to fame through her films Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady, actress Meryl Streep received a standing ovation for her lifetime performance and contribution to the Hollywood cinema. With her 20th Oscar nomination this year, Streep has more Academy Award nominations than any other actor or actress till date.
Yet another win came for The Jungle Book as Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R Jones and Dan Lemmon grabbed the trophy for best visual effects, defeating the tough rivals Doctor Strange and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Jungle Book had already won awards at BAFTA 2017, 15th VES Awards and 44th Annie Awards this year.
Disney’s Zootopia undoubtedly won the award for best animated feature. Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore, and producer Clark Spencer collected the prize for the film which has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office, highest than any best film nominees this year. Kubo and the Two Strings which recently won accolades at BAFTA Awards 2017 and the 44th Annie Awards unfortunately could not take the award home for either Best Animated Feature or Best Visual Effects.
Pixar’s Piper won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer, the film had also won an Annie this year for Best Animated Short Subject.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them which had managed to win a BAFTA for best production design, took home the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood).
Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson won the day with Best Makeup and Hairstyling award for Suicide Squad.
John Gilbert won the Academy Award for best film editing, for Hacksaw Ridge – Mel Gibson’s true-life tale of a US army medic. Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace nabbed the prize for best sound mixing, also for Hacksaw Ridge, while Best Sound Editing was won by Arrival (Sylvian Bellemare).