Firsts and surprises at the 97th Oscars

A night of firsts and surprises capped off the tumultuous awards season as the 97th Academy Awards recognized Hollywood’s best films Sunday night (3 March 8 a.m., Philippine time).

Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rita Castro in Emilia Pérez, becoming the first American of Dominican origin to win an Oscar.

In her speech, Saldaña thanked and dedicated her win to her immigrant family.

She said, “My grandmother came to this country in 1961 — I am a proud child of immigrant parents. With dreams and dignity and hard-working hands, and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last. I hope. The fact that I’m getting an award for a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish — my grandmother, if she were here, she would be so delighted, this is for my grandmother.”

Second time’s a charm for Paul Tazewell who had previously been nominated for his work in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

This time, Tazewell took home the Oscar for Best Costume Design for Wicked. He’s the first Black man to receive the award.

“This is absolutely astounding. Thank you, Academy, for this very significant honor. I am the first Black man to receive the Oscar design award. Thank you everyone in the U.K. for all of your beautiful work, I could not have done this without you,” he said before proceeding to thank “Ozian” muses Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. He continued, “I love you so much — all the other cast, thank you thank you thank you, for trusting me with bringing your characters to life. This is everything. Director Jon M. Chu and producer (Marc Platt), thank you.”

The feline-centric and dialogue-free film Flow won Best Animated Feature, the first Latvian title to win an Oscar.

Director Gints Zilbalodis, moved by the warm reception of the film, hopes Flow’s win will open doors to independent animation filmmakers around the world. He said, “This is the first time a film from Latvia has ever been nominated, so it really means a lot to us. We are very inspired, and we hope to be back soon.”

Brazil, after five previous nominations, won Best International Feature with I’m Still Here.

Director Walter Salles, who accepted the award, “This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend. And to resist. So, this prize goes to her. And it goes to the two extraordinary women who gave life to her, Fernanda Torres, and Fernanda Montenegro.”

Anora, a dramedy about a sex worker who marries the pampered son of a Russian oligarch, triumphed with five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and lastly Best Actress, marking the first Oscar win for Mikey Madison.

Kieran Culkin won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain.

Epic period drama The Brutalist won Best Lead Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.