05 March, 2018
The 90th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2017. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro was the big winner with the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for his film "The Shape of Water."
But more importantly, the show from Hollywood aired live on television as planned with speeches, old film and appeals for female solidarity. There were no protests or mistakes, unlike last year when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced the wrong winner for Best Picture.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre. And three actresses, Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra, appeared together before a video showing a changing Hollywood industry. They were among the several women who accused producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse.
The video showed Greta Gerwig, only the fifth woman to ever be nominated for best director. It also had Yance Ford, the first transgender nominee for "Strong Island," Dee Rees, whose "Mudbound" received a cinematographer nomination and the Pakistani-born Kumail Nanjiani for "The Big Sick."
The program avoided problems when actor Casey Affleck, last year's Best Actor winner, stayed home, rather than follow tradition and present the Best Actress award. Affleck has been accused of sexual misbehavior. Instead Jodie Foster and Jennifer Lawrence presented the Best Actress Oscar.
Special Oscars moments
Walking joyously onto the stage, 86-year-old Rita Moreno wore the same dress from the 1962 ceremony. She had worn the dress 56 years ago to receive the Best Supporting Actress for "West Side Story."
James Ivory became the oldest Oscar-winner at the age of 89. He won for his screenplay "Call Me By Your Name." And Christopher Nolan's World War II film "Dunkirk" received three technical awards.
Chile's "A Fantastic Woman," which starred the transgender actress Daniela Vega, won best foreign film. Disney and Pixar's celebration of Mexican culture, "Coco," took best animated feature, as well as best song for "Remember Me."
Jordan Peele became the first African-American to win best original screenplay for his horror film "Get Out." Peele said he stopped writing it "20 times," because he did not think it would get made.
"But I kept coming back to it because I knew if someone would let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it," said Peele.
Frances McDormand used her appearance on stage to speak on behalf of women. The Best Actress winner asked, "If I may be so honored to have all the female nominees stand with me."
"We all have stories to tell," she said.
I'm Anna Matteo.
Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English based on AP news reports. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
solidarity - n. a feeling of unity among people who have the same interst, goal
transgender – adj. of or relating to people who feel that their true nature does not match their sex at birth
joyously - adv. feeling or showing great happiness