And the Oscar Goes to: History Made at 90th Annual Academy Awards

The 90th annual Oscars was one for the books, as many phenomenal films competed for awards. Nominees included The Shape of Water, Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, I, Tonya, The Post, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, and Blade Runner 2049The Shape of Water swept the awards, receiving 13 nominations and winning four Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Original Score, and Production design. Other winners included:

Best Actor: Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour

Best Actress: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Actress: Allison Janey, I, Tonya

Best Supporting Actor: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Adapted Screenplay: Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory

Original Screenplay: Get Out, Jordan Peele

Many historical wins took place at this year’s Oscars. Jordan Peele became the first black director to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and at 90 years old, James Ivory became the oldest Oscar winner ever. Additionally, cinematographer Roger Deakins won Best Cinematography for Blade Runner 2049 after 14 previous nominations. Greta Gerwig also made history by becoming the fifth female director to ever be nominated for an Oscar. Her debut film, Lady Bird received widespread praise and was nominated in four categories.

While the Academy Awards have previously received flack for being white and male dominated, the academy is trying to change that, as people across the U.S. demand more representation of women and minorities in the movie industry. 2018 is already off to a good start, as the black dominated film, Black Panther, has already made millions at the box office. Oscar winners such as Guillermo Del Toro called for equality and diversity in their acceptance speeches.

After 90 years, the Oscars are definitely changing for the better. It will be hard to top this year’s Academy Awards, but I’m sure 2018 will bring us many new, diverse, and Oscar-worthy films.