Oscar Winners

By Rufaro Zaranyika, Arts and Entertainment Editor, The DAA Pawprint

“Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” won best picture at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday, wrapping up an incredible awards season with the film industry’s top prize. The film, an adventure about a Chinese-American laundromat owner dealing with an IRS investigation and inter-dimensional invaders, won seven awards, including best original screenplay and best directing for its creators Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as the Daniels). The win is a victory for A24, the indie studio that drove the hilarious film to an astonishing $100 million at the box office. The studio also accomplished the rare accomplishment of winning all four acting awards, three of which went to “Everything, Everywhere, Everything at Once,” and one to “The Whale.”

“Everything Everywhere At Once” Michelle Yeoh is the first Asian woman to be named best lead actress. The award followed a long career in martial arts and action films such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Yes, Madam.” In “Everything, Everywhere, Everything at Once,” Ke Huy Quan won best supporting actor for his portrayal of Yeoh’s stressed spouse. Quan, a former child star who appeared in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” had given up acting in recent years after becoming dissatisfied with his lack of prospects. He fought back emotions as he accepted his medal and shared his personal tale.

Brendan Fraser won best actor for his role in “The Whale” as a morbidly obese man attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter. Fraser, a once-famous actor known for roles in blockbusters like “George of the Jungle” and “The Mummy,” had spent the last decade and a half away from the spotlight coping with health and personal issues. His victory continues his remarkable comeback.

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” an adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel about trench life during World War I, won four Oscars, including best international picture. Other notable awards included “Pinocchio,” Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion musical, which was voted best animated feature, and “Women Talking,” which won best adapted screenplay for Sarah Polley.

The documentary “Navalny,” about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, won best documentary. Once the prize was announced, Yulia Navalny, the imprisoned politician’s wife, took the stage and delivered a message to Vladimir Putin. “I dream about the day when you and our country will be free,” she said.