Gracing television screens with new champagne-colored runners and the well-known gold and black-themed screens and wallpapers, the 95th Academy Awards—also known as the Oscars—aired March 12, 2023. Standing as the most prestigious event for those in the television industry, the Oscars rewards actors, actresses, producers, composers, directors, editors and several other credited individuals and teams for their hard work. Simply receiving a nomination for the Academy Award remains a colossal accomplishment. 

Held in the massive Dolby Theatre, celebrities from a wide range of industries welcomed themselves to the enormous event sporting tailored suits, embezzled dresses in pink tones, diamond-plated jewelry and designer purses. Michelle Yeoh graced the carpet with a Dior Haute Couture dress and soft makeup for an angelic look, and Cara Delevingne stunned the cameras with a bright red Elie Saab dress and bold smokey eyes. In the early portion of the event, celebrities pose for the cameras in their expensive attire on the infamous red carpet. Although, the Academy made a significant change this year. While the red carpet remained a loved tradition for the Oscars and a majority of prestigious ceremonies, the Oscars changed the carpet color to a neutral champagne color.

On his third run as a Academy Awards host, Jimmy Kimmel joined the golden stage and delivered lighthearted jokes about Will Smith, “Babylon” and Matt Damon.

“I got nothing to win, nothing to lose! I’m just here to honor the others tonight…It is always important that we always honor others. This is my industry, these are my friends, many of them, so it’s really important to be here…This is the best party in town so I’m lucky to get to be here. I have a lot of friends up in the running today: Jamie Lee Curtis, Angela Bassett, Rick Carter,” actress and Oscars presenter Halle Berry said. 

Starting with a bang, Jamie Lee Curtis won the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in the A24 film “Everything Everywhere All At Once” with utmost surprise. Other nominees for the award included Stephanie Hsu for the same film and Angela Bassett for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.

While several online voices did not agree with the supporting actress win, “Goonies” star Ke Huy Quan for supporting actor in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” received applause and uproar around the globe for landing a perfect role after a 20-year-long absence from the film industry. Additionally, Branden Fraser won for his leading role in “The Whale”. Both actors played central roles in the 1992 comedy “Encino Man”. Winning in four categories—International Feature, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score—German war film “All Quiet on the Western Front” took home several wins for its intricate visuals. With the most wins of the night, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” scored seven awards, including Best Picture.

“The Academy is made up of a lot of folks that are current but also former [workers in the film industry]…so they knew and worked with Curtis’ parents. She has a history—she’s almost like Hollywood royalty in some respects that way…Angela Bassett’s going to get another Oscar role soon enough, and maybe they may have gotten some of the voting that way…she’s going to be back for another [Oscar award] anyway. All of them [the award decisions] are pretty well deserved across the board,” Audio & Video film teacher Daniel Knode said.