The 92nd Academy awards saw the making of history with the South Korean film Parasite bagging the award for the best picture, the first ever foreign language film to win the award. Director Bong Joon Ho of Parasite won the best director award being the second foreign director to win it after Alfonso Cuaron who won it for Roma. The movie also bagged the award for the best foreign feature and for the best original screenplay. Parasite made history with the first academy award for a film or director from South Korea.
The award night saw big wins for Hollywood royalty with Joaquin Phoenix winning the best actor for his portrayal of the iconic character of Joker. Renee Zellweger won the best actress award for her portrayal of Judy Garland in her biopic Judy. The best supporting actress award went to Laura Dern who portrayed the strong character of a divorce lawyer in Marriage Story. The veteran cinematographer Roger Deakins won the award for best cinematography for his awe inspiring rendition of frames in the movie 1917 which garnered attention for being a movie in a single shot. The best adapted screenplay award went to Taika Waititi for Jojo Rabbit which gave a daringly new humorous and soulful take on the horrors of Nazi Germany.
The awards saw a shift from its long established tradition of awarding the major categories of best picture and best director to Hollywood artists and production, with an impetus on accepting art as universal. The award trends saw a leaning towards many portrayals of oppression, economic and social inequality and racism pervading in the society with major wins for Parasite, Joker and Jojo Rabbit. The awards also witnessed iconic speeches from many artists with big celebrities led by Tom Hanks cheering on the cast of Parasite to bask in their moment and speak out their heart when their speech was cut short by producers of the show. Joaquin Phoenix also gave an intense politically charged speech in which he spoke out for gender equality, against racism, for queer rights, indigenous rights, animal rights, championing the fight against injustice and against the entitlement humans feel towards the land that nurtures them.
