Producers said they planned an upbeat show but will acknowledge the crisis in Ukraine, which has killed thousands and driven a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million people from their homes. Actor Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, is among the night’s presenters. Jason Momoa wore a handkerchief in the colours of the Ukrainian flag: blue and yellow.
Jessica Chastain, Nicole Kidman and other nominees donned a rainbow of colours for a ceremony with 2,500 gown- and tuxedo-clad attendees and free from last year’s pandemic restrictions. Nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee wore a light blue suit, while Chastain picked a lavender and gold gown with giant ruffles on the skirt. Kirsten Dunst and Marlee Matlin chose bright red.
After past complaints about a lack of diversity, two of this year’s four acting accolades may go to people of colour. Will Smith is likely to earn his first Oscar forIn a bid to draw more viewers, especially younger ones, after years of declining ratings, the show will add two awards, the results of fan votes for favourite film and scene. Some winners were announced ahead of the live show with their speeches to be edited into the show.
The best picture race hinges on whether the 9,900 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences back a gothic psychological thriller or an uplifting story., starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a repressed cowboy who torments his brother’s new wife, outpaced all movies with 12 nominations. It had been considered the leader untiltells the story of a hearing girl who serves as interpreter for her deaf family but longs to pursue a career in music.
A traditional Hollywood studio could score an upset. Awards experts give an outside shot to Kenneth Branagh’s, a film inspired by his childhood in Northern Ireland at the onset of the sectarian conflict known as the Troubles, or Steven Spielberg’sstar Smith is the best-actor favourite for playing the determined father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. Competitors include Cumberbatch and Andrew Garfield for musicalBest actress is the most unpredictable.