‘Sinners’ shines and other top moments from the 98th Academy Awards
TheGrio...
From Michael B. Jordan’s win to an unforgettable, star-studded performance of the “Sinners” juke joint hit, “I Lied To You.”
It’s been a long awards season, so if you made it to the Oscars, congratulations. If you didn’t, we’re here to help!
The evening began with high excitement for “Sinners,” which came into the award show with a record-breaking 16 nominations, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Director. The film left with four awards, including Michael B. Jordan’s first Oscar. The new Best Actor winner used his acceptance speech to pay homage to Black actors who paved the way for him.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me,” Jordan said, referencing Black pioneers including Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, and Will Smith.
Now that the Oscars’ night has wrapped, here are more top unforgettable moments from the awards.
‘One Battle After Another’ racks up the most wins, including Best Picture and Best Director
The action thriller “One Battle After Another” took home six awards: Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director, Achievement in Casting, and Best Picture. Sean Penn, who won for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Colonel Lockjaw, was notably not there to accept his award.
“Sinners” was right behind with four wins: Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.
Shaboozey, Brittany Howard, and other surprise appearances during the live ‘Sinners’ performance
We didn’t know Brittany Howard would grace us in the live performance of the “Sinners” juke joint hit, “I Lied To You,” but it kind of makes sense, doesn’t it?
Actor Miles Caton performed the song as he does in the film, singing to his co-star Jayme Lawson, who plays his love interest, Pearline. Li Jun Li, who plays store owner Grace Chow, was also cutting up at the juke joint, and the primary trio of vampires from the film, Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke, and Peter Dreimanis, also traipsed around the stage, trying to get into the function.
The audience likely anticipated that Raphael Saadiq, who co-wrote and produced “I Lied To You,” would open the performance, and that Misty Copeland would appear amid the ensemble, representing the film’s celebration of centuries of Black music and dance. But there were the surprise appearances. Also singing onstage with Caton were Howard, Rhiannon Giddens, and Shaboozey, as well as soul singer-songwriter Alice Smith, pioneering hip hop DJ D-Nice, and blues guitarist Christone Kingfish Ingram.
‘Sinners’ earns first Oscars for Michael B. Jordan, Ryan Coogler, and a historic win for Autumn Durald Arkapaw
“Sinners” was nominated for 16 Oscars, the most of any film in history, and took home four. Among the four was a historic win for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who is the first woman to earn an Academy Award for Cinematography, and celebrated the honor with the women in the room, asking all of them to stand up and saying, “I don’t get here without you guys.”
This was also Durald Arkapaw’s first Oscar win, which put her in good company with the other members of her “Sinners” team, director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan, who also won their first gold statuettes that night: Coogler earned the award for Best Original Screenplay, and Jordan received Best Actor.
Javier Bardem’s ‘Free Palestine’ declaration and the James Baldwin reference that followed
Director Javier Bardem took the stage with a clear and direct message: “No to war, and Free Palestine.” In addition to making public declarations of both, he also wore the statements as part of his Oscars attire, which was embellished with a patch that said: “No A La Guerra” (No To The War), and a Palestine pin. Those who have been following the road to the Oscars may remember that at the BAFTAs, director Akinola Davies Jr. was censored by the BBC’s broadcast for saying “Free Palestine,” which was heavily criticized after the network allowed a moment when the N-word was shouted at Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan to air.
Bardem then presented the award for Best International Feature to the director of Sentimental Value, Joachim Trie. In his acceptance speech, the Norwegian director paraphrased a quote from James Baldwin in his acceptance speech, telling the audience, “Adults are responsible for all children, and let’s not vote for politicians who don’t take this seriously into account.”