The Academy Awards is an annual celebration and recognition of the best works of art in the film industry. Usually, the awards ceremony each calendar year recognizes the works produced the preceding year. The 94th Academy Awards was the 2022 installment of the Oscars, and it was as iconic as they come.
This list recaps the 10 best awards from the 2022 Oscars. Moreover, it will cover not just the winners but also the nominees who equally vied for the award. It’ll also recap some notable controversies which made the year’s ceremony unforgettable.
1. Best Cinematography: Dune
The first award in the running order in this list is the award for cinematographers. There were five nominees in this category: Dune, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and West Side Story. The award went to Greg Fraiser for his work on Dune, and it was his first Oscar award. Watch the awarding segment here.
2. Best Animated Feature Film: Encanto
The Animated Feature Film category saw five nominees: Encanto, Flee, Luca, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and Raya and the Last Dragon. The award went to Encanto, the very movie that featured the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” Needless to say, it’s one of the most iconic movie soundtracks, topping the charts of three countries. Jared Bush, who also directed Zootopia, received his first-ever Oscar nomination and award in this ceremony. Watch the awarding segment here.
3. Best International Feature Film: Drive My Car (Japan)
The Academy Awards are not just for the Anglosphere countries. But rather, there are nominations and awards for works coming from outside of them as well. This installment’s Best International Feature Film accolades five foreign films: Japan’s Drive My Car, Denmark’s Flee, Italy’s The Hand of God, Bhutan’s Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, and Norway’s The Worst Person in the World. In the end, Japan saw its fifth Oscar award. Watch the awarding segment here.
4. Best Original Screenplay: Belfast
The best stories written deserve recognition as well, and one way to show that is with the Best Original Screenplay Award at the Oscars. The five best original film stories for the year 2022 were Belfast, Don’t Look Up, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, and The Worst Person in The World. Kenneth Branagh won the award after featuring his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Watch the awarding segment here.
5. Best Original Song: No Time To Die
Soundtracks are also given recognition in the Academy, and the Best Original Song proves that. The five nominations in this category served as movie soundtracks, and these five were: “Be Alive” (King Richard), “Dos Oruguitas” (Encanto), “Down to Joy” (Belfast), “No Time To Die” (No Time To Die), and “Somehow You Do” (Four Good Days). The eponymous song won, making it the first-ever Oscar award and nomination for Billie Eilish and his brother Finneas O’Connell. Watch the awarding segment here.
6. Best Director: Jane Campion
The Academy Awards does not just recognize the film actors, but also they pay attention to the people who work behind the screen to make them happen. That was why the Oscar accoladed these five directors for their wonderful gifts to the screen: Kenneth Branagh (Belfast), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza), Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), and Steven Spielberg (West Side Story). The award went to Jane Campion, making it her second win. Watch the awarding segment here.
7. Best Actor: Will Smith
Next up on the list is the Best Actor in a Leading Role category. In running order, the nominees were Javier Bardem from Being the Ricardos, Benedict Cumberbatch from The Power of the Dog, Andrew Garfield from Tick, Tick…Boom!, Will Smith from King Richard and Denzel Washington from The Tragedy of Macbeth. Will Smith, who just slapped Chris Rock about half an hour prior, won the award.
In his acceptance speech, Smith became emotional while holding the award in his hand. The teary Smith apologized to the Academy for what had happened a few moments before but claimed that he ought to protect the people he deemed to be disrespected. This was the last time Smith would be seen in an Oscar event before 2032. Watch the awarding segment here.
8. Best Actress: Jessica Chastain
The presenter Anthony Hopkins remarked that the five actresses in this category built their careers in the most memorable of ways. The five actresses Hopkins was talking about were Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), Penélope Cruz (Parallel Mothers), Nicole Kidman (Being The Ricardos), and Kristen Stewart (Spencer). Chastain was nominated twice before, and it seemed like the third time was the charm for her. Watch the awarding segment here.
9. Best Picture: CODA
The awarding ceremonies ended with the Best Picture category. Ten films were nominated for this award: Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, and West Side Story. The reception of the award was emotional and marked CODA’s third nomination a third win. Watch the final awarding segment here.
Follow Us
