Oscars 2024 updates: Oppenheimer sweeps the 96th Academy Awards
Here are the updates for Sunday, March 10, 2024 as the 96th annual Academy Awards unfolded in Los Angeles, California.
This live page is now closed. For the night’s biggest highlights, check out Al Jazeera’s coverage here.
This live page is now closed. For the night’s biggest highlights, check out Al Jazeera’s coverage here.
- The 96th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in the United States city of Los Angeles, California, bringing together some of the biggest filmmakers in Hollywood.
- Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer came into the ceremony with the most nominations: 13. It scooped up seven Oscars, with pivotal wins for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor.
- Poor Things grabbed four wins, while The Zone of Interest received two. Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon was shut out, despite earning 10 nominations.
- Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Robert Downey Jr won the acting categories.
- The buzzy summer blockbuster Barbie nabbed a single win – in the Best Song category. Check out the complete list of winners here.
Thank you for joining us
The live blog is now closed. We appreciate you watching our coverage of the 96th annual Oscar awards.
You can read our five takeaways from tonight’s ceremony here.
Also, reporter Brandi Morin takes you inside the true story behind Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon with this article about the Osage “Reign of Terror”, a string of anti-Indigenous violence that continues to echo into the present day.
We also have an explainer that delves into Oscar history here.
Here’s a recap of what happened at the 96th Oscars
We will be closing our live blog for the 96th annual Oscars soon. We hope you enjoyed the evening with us.
Here’s a review of the main events from a night full of drama, celebration and cinematic achievement:
- Oppenheimer emerged as the night’s big winner, taking home seven Oscars after being nominated in 13 categories. Those wins included heavy-hitting categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
- Poor Things and The Zone of Interest also performed well, with four and two prizes, respectively. Emma Stone took home Best Actress for her role in Poor Things, an upset in a category that many expected performer Lily Gladstone to win.
- Politics took centre stage, with protests against Israel’s war in Gaza blocking traffic near the awards. Acceptance speeches echoed the call for peace in Gaza and Ukraine.
- Ryan Gosling reprised his role as Ken from Barbie, singing the film’s standout musical number I’m Just Ken to rapturous applause.
- A long list of celebrities, from Al Pacino to Michelle Yeoh to Sally Field, helped announce awards throughout the night.
Fans take to social media to praise Lily Gladstone
Fans have taken to social media to sing the praises of Lily Gladstone, a Native American actress whose riveting performance as Mollie Kyle in the film Killers of the Flower Moon was widely expected to net her the award for Best Actress.
Emma Stone, who won for her starring performance in Poor Things, said during her acceptance speech, “Lily, I share this with you.” Both Stone and Gladstone won acclaim for their respective performances.
“Emma Stone is absolutely incredible in Poor Things, but Lily Gladstone’s performance in Killers of the Flower Moon is *forever* and it always will be,” film critic David Ehrlich wrote in a social media post.
Another social media user shared a video of an Oscar statuette being transported out of the building with the caption: “me stealing the Oscar to give it to Lily Gladstone.”
me stealing the #Oscar to give it to lily gladstone
— lucy (@winonasfilm) March 11, 2024
Politics take the stage at the 96th Oscars
Politics remained a topic of discussion at tonight’s awards, with references to issues such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the continued threat of nuclear weapons and women’s rights.
In an emotional acceptance speech, Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov said that, while he was honoured to win an Oscar for his documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, he would exchange all of the night’s pomp and circumstance for “Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities”.
Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer likewise used his platform to speak out against Israel’s war in Gaza.
As he made his acceptance speech, Glazer said that he and the film’s producer James Wilson “stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation that has led to conflict for so many innocent people”.
Messi the dog lights up the night
Messi, the dog that appeared in Anatomy of a Fall, stole the show yet again at tonight’s Oscars, gaining the attention of the host as well as those watching at home.
“I haven’t seen a French actor eat vomit like that since Gerard Depardieu,” host Jimmy Kimmel said of the dog’s cinematic performance.
Viewers also took to social media to praise Messi who was present at the awards despite earlier speculation that he might skip the event.
Ryan Gosling’s face lighting up after he sees Messi, the dog from Anatomy of a Fall, clapping on the big screen at the Oscars LOL pic.twitter.com/maKz53vAHp
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) March 11, 2024
Gaza protests loom large over awards ceremony
Oppenheimer producer says win is moment you ‘dream of’
The team behind Oppenheimer has offered their thanks after winning Best Picture, capping off a night of success across seven major categories.
“I think any of us who make movies know that you kind of dream of this moment. You know you do, right? I could deny it, but I have been dreaming about this moment for so long,” British film producer Emma Thomas said in her acceptance speech for Best Picture.
“The reason this movie was the movie it was: Chris Nolan. He is singular, he is brilliant, and I’m so grateful,” she added.
Oppenheimer wins Best Picture, biggest prize of the night
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has won Best Picture, emerging from a long list of films to take home the crowning prize of the night.
The film offered a nuanced portrayal of the race to create the first atomic bomb and the scientist who spearheaded that process, J Robert Oppenheimer.
The film, alongside competitor Barbie, swept the box offices and became one of the movie events of the year.
The win is Oppenheimer’s seventh of the night, out of 13 total nominations.
Jimmy Kimmel reads a critical Trump social media post on stage
… And he slaps back. “Thanks for watching. Isn’t it past your jail time?”
Donald Trump, a former US president, had posted on his Truth Social platform, “Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars.”
Kimmel is known for poking fun at the Republican leader on his late-night comedy show.
The former president faces four separate criminal indictments, including two for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results.
A surprise win for Emma Stone in the Best Actress category
Emma Stone was one of the favourites in this category and sure enough, she has walked away with her second win as Best Actress, beating out other frontrunners like Lily Gladstone.
Stone starred in the surrealist fantasy Poor Things about a dead woman who is resurrected, using her child’s brain instead of her own. This twist on the Frankenstein tale seems at first to lean into male fantasies about infantilised women, but ultimately, Stone upends those expectations, with a frenetic, unnervingly direct performance.
She previously won the Best Actress category for her work in the musical film La La Land.
“My dress is broken,” Stone quipped as she arrived on stage to claim her trophy. “I think it happened during I’m Just Ken.”
She proceeded to thank the other women in her category, as well as the cast and crew behind Poor Things.
“It’s not about me,” Stone said as she held her Oscar. “It’s about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.”
Previous category winners Michelle Yeoh, Sally Field, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron and Jessica Lange were on stage to present the award.
Christopher Nolan says win ‘means the world to me’
British director Christopher Nolan paid tribute to the history of cinema with his Best Director acceptance speech, saying he is overjoyed to have contributed to the art of film.
“Movies are just a little bit over 100 years old. I mean, imagine being there 100 years into painting or theatre,” he said. “We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here, but to know that you think I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”
Christopher Nolan receives long-awaited Best Director win
British writer-director Christopher Nolan has helmed multiple Oscar-winning films, but never before has he himself taken home the trophy.
That changes tonight.
Nolan has finally claimed the Best Director Oscar for his work in the epic biopic Oppenheimer, a masterful overview of the famed nuclear physicist’s life, told through overlapping timelines.
The British filmmaker was first nominated in 2002 in the Best Original Screenplay category for the movie Memento.
“There are so many people who’ve dragged me up here,” Nolan said, thanking those who “saw the potential” in his project. “I can’t say enough about the incredible crew that we got together on this film.”
He also gave special thanks to his wife Emma Thomas, “producer of all our films and all our children”.
Murphy dedicates acceptance speech to ‘peacemakers’ amid continued threat of nuclear weapons
“I’m a very proud Irish man standing here tonight,” Cillian Murphy said in his acceptance speech, which he dedicated to “the peacemakers everywhere”.
“We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb, and for better or for worse, we’re all living in Oppenheimer’s world,” he added.
Cillian Murphy wins Best Actor
It was a tight race in the Best Actor category, but Irish actor Cillian Murphy has pulled through with the win for his title role in Oppenheimer.
And across the movie’s three-hour runtime, every subtle signal on Murphy’s face is captured on large-format 65mm film. It is a towering performance, one that captures the hubris and guilt of J Robert Oppenheimer as he built the first atomic bomb and lived with its consequences.
Murphy even lost 28 pounds (12kg) to capture Oppenheimer’s gaunt physique. The film Oppenheimer marks Murphy’s sixth collaboration with director Christopher Nolan.
Now, it has landed him his first Oscar nomination and first win.
A look back at the late artists who shaped Hollywood
For nearly 30 years, the Oscars has been recognising the artists – on screen and off – who have passed away over the last year with its In Memoriam segment.
This year’s montage offers remembrances for Friends star Matthew Perry, rock star Tina Turner, PeeWee Herman comedian Paul Reubens, American actor Alan Arkin and British actor Michael Gambon, among others.
This year’s montage was set to the song Time to Say Goodbye, with tenor Andrea Bocelli lending vocals to the live performance.
Oppenheimer wins Best Original Score
Ludwig Goransson has won Best Original Score for his work on Oppenheimer, his second Oscar win and third nomination. He won for Black Panther in 2019. The film’s sweeping score contributed to its already tense atmosphere, rippling with political intrigue and the then-unknown dangers of the atomic age.
“Christopher Nolan, it was your idea to use the violin in the score, and it allowed me to work and collaborate with my wonderful wife and acclaimed violinists Serena Goransson,” Goransson said in his acceptance speech.
“The result of that was amazing, and it really set a really nice tone for the film,” he added.
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell win Best Original Song
The sibling duo Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell earned an Oscar win for the song What Was I Made For? from the movie Barbie.
This is their second trophy, after previous Oscar gold for the James Bond song No Time to Die.
“I had a nightmare about this last night,” Eilish said, before bursting into nervous laughter. “I just didn’t think this would happen.”
“I feel so incredibly lucky and honoured,” she continued, crying. “This goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is.”
She also thanked her childhood best friend “for playing Barbies growing up”.
I’m Just Ken song studded with classic Hollywood references
With its guitar riffs and melodrama, the Barbie song I’m Just Ken is an epic send-up of ‘80s power ballads.
But the scene in the original film also pays tribute to iconic Hollywood cinema, with its lengthy dance sequence.
The “dream ballet” set was designed to mirror imagery from the 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain. And the Kens themselves dance in a kaleidoscopic fashion, a nod to the mesmerising dance patterns of American director Busby Berkeley.
Ryan Gosling sings I’m Just Ken, highlight of the evening
It’s the moment everyone has been waiting for: Ryan Gosling takes the stage to sing I’m Just Ken, dressed in a sparkling pink suit.
But initially, this show-stopper song was not even a part of the original script. Mark Ronson started to write its now-famous lyrics – “I’m just Ken, anywhere else I’d be a 10” – and sent a demo over to director Greta Gerwig, uncertain about how it would be received.
She and Gosling both loved it and reworked the Ken dolls’ epic battle scene to include the song.
Best Sound Oscar awarded to the film The Zone of Interest
The Zone of Interest, the chilling story of everyday life unfolding next to the Auschwitz concentration camp, has just won another trophy – this time for Best Sound Design.
Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn picked up the trophy on behalf of the film. Their sound design mixed the sounds of screams and grinding machinery with the mundane life of the Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss’s family.
“My mother wouldn’t have understood this. She always said, ‘What do you mean you do the sound in film?’” said Burn.
Songwriter Diane Warren returns to the Oscars with The Fire Inside
The musician behind the ballad The Fire Inside is a familiar face at the Oscars.
American songwriter Diane Warren has received 15 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song, including tonight’s honouree from the film Flamin’ Hot. But she has yet to receive the coveted win.
Instead, in 2022, she was given an Honorary Academy Award for her contributions to movie soundtracks, which range from the Aerosmith hit I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing to the LeAnn Rimes song How Do I Live.
California’s Becky G performs The Fire Inside at the Oscars
Becky G just turned 27 years old last weekend — and now she’s on stage performing in her first Oscars ceremony, with the song The Fire Inside.
The single is part of the film Flamin’ Hot, which chronicles the story of Richard Montañez, a Mexican-American entrepreneur who claimed to have invented Hot Cheetos, a best-selling snack.
While reporting from the Los Angeles Times and other publications have cast doubt on that claim, the film has been a platform for Hispanic artists like Becky G and Eva Longoria, who made her directorial debut with the film. Flamin’ Hot is only up for one Oscar tonight, in the Best Song category.
Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar scores Best Live Action Short
Wes Anderson’s adaptation of the Raoul Dahl fairytale The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar takes home the Oscar for Best Live Action Short.
Anderson deploys his typical bag of tricks – framing narratives, storybook settings, unsettlingly symmetrical shots – to bring to life Henry Sugar, a wealthy playboy who masters the art of seeing without his eyes, only to discover his life lacks meaning even with his newfound power.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Henry Sugar, delivering a tongue-in-cheek performance that gives the British actor a spotlight for his under-appreciated comedic range.
Anderson was not at hand to accept the award.
“Congratulations, Wes. We knew you could make em long, but wow, beautiful,” said Ramy Youssef, one of the award’s presenters.
Oppenheimer wins for Best Cinematography
Dutch-Swedish cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema is a frequent collaborator with director Christopher Nolan – and now, that partnership has turned into an Oscar win.
Van Hoytema has taken home the Best Cinematography trophy for the film Oppenheimer, a biopic told through both black-and-white and colour photography on a large-format IMAX film.
The film visualises physicist J Robert Oppeheimer’s work to build an atomic bomb — and the political backlash he faced later in his career.
Director of 20 Days in Mariupol celebrates ‘first Oscar in Ukrainian history’
Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov has used his acceptance speech to draw attention to Russia’s invasion of his home country, in a moving speech calling for renewed solidarity with Ukraine.
“This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history. I’m honoured. But probably, I’m the first director on this stage who will say, I wish I had never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities,” Chernov said in emotional remarks.
“We can make sure that the historical record is set straight, and that the truth will prevail, and that the people of Mariupol and those who have given their lives will never be forgotten,” he added.