The 2020 Academy Awards in summation: Bong Joon-ho, more Bong Joon-ho and, again, more Bong Joon-ho. The director's South Korean film Parasite took home four Oscars, including for Best International Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. The latter makes Parasite the first non-English language film to ever take home the top honor in all of the Academy Awards' 92-year history.
The cheers for Parasite's Best Picture win were so loud that the audience — led by an endearing Tom Hanks and Charlize Theron — chanted to turn the lights back on and bring the microphone back up to let the team finish their speeches. It was a glorious moment. Eminem ripping through time to perform his song "Lose Yourself" for undisclosed reasons? Not so glorious. (But at least director Martin Scorsese blessed us with his reaction to the performance.)
The Buckeye State also got a shout-out a la Yellow Springs-based Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, the filmmakers behind American Factory, which scored a win for Best Documentary Feature.
The Netflix documentary was the first release under Barack and Michelle Obama's new film production company, Higher Ground. Honing in on Moraine, Ohio's Fuyao Plant, opened by Chinese billionaire Cao Dewang, the documentary explores rising tensions at the factory as cultures clash and workers fight for their right to unionize.
“Working people have it harder and harder these days — and we believe that things will get better when workers of the world unite,” Reichert said in her acceptance speech.
In other surprises, Scorsese's The Irishman took home zero awards, despite being nominated in 10 categories. Other Netflix flicks — Marriage Story and The Two Popes — also turned up mostly empty-handed, save for American Factory and Laura Dern's Best Supporting Actress win for Marriage Story. And despite early predictions that Sam Mendes' World War I drama 1917 would nab top honors, that wasn't the case. Though it was rewarded heavily in technical categories, including for cinematography, sound mixing and visual effects.
In another history-making moment, Taika Waititi — who directed, wrote and starred in Jojo Rabbit — became the first indigenous New Zealander to win an Oscar, securing a statuette in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.
Best Picture
WINNER: Parasite
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood
Director
WINNER: Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Todd Phillips, Joker
Sam Mendes, 1917
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood
Actress in a Leading Role
WINNER: Renée Zellweger, Judy
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Actress in a Supporting Role
WINNER: Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Actor in a Supporting Role
WINNER: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Original Screenplay
WINNER: Parasite
Knives Out
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood
Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: Jojo Rabbit
The Irishman
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes
Animated Feature Film
WINNER: Toy Story 4
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Animated Short
WINNER: Hair Love
Dcera (Daughter)
Kitbull
Memorable
Sister
Live Action Short
WINNER: The Neighbors’ Window
Brotherhood
Nefta Football Club
Saria
A Sister
Production Design
WINNER: Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
1917
Parasite
Costume Design
WINNER: Little Women
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood
Documentary Feature
WINNER: American Factory
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland
Documentary Short Subject
WINNER: Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone (if You’re a Girl)
In the Absence
Life Overtakes Me
St. Louis Superman
Walk, Run, Chacha
Sound Editing
WINNER: Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Sound Mixing
WINNER: 1917
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Cinematography
WINNER: 1917
The Irishman
Joker
The Lighthouse
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Film Editing
WINNER: Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Parasite
Visual Effects
WINNER: 1917
Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
The Lion King
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Makeup and Hairstyling
WINNER: Bombshell
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
1917
International Feature Film (previously Foreign Language Film)
WINNER: Parasite (South Korea)
Corpus Christi (Poland)
Honeyland (North Macedonia)
Les Misérables (France)
Pain & Glory (Spain)
Original Score
WINNER: Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Original Song
WINNER: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4
“I’m Standing With You,” Breakthrough
“Into the Unknown,” Frozen 2
“Stand Up,” Harriet
