Bong Joon Ho's Parasite made history, Brad Pitt won his first acting Oscar, Laura Dern collected best supporting actress and Joaquin Phoenix won the best actor Oscar at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Bong's South Korean class satire took four big awards: best picture, best director, best original screenplay and best international film. All were the first Oscars for a Korean film. Bong and co-writer Han Jin Won became the first Asian writers to take the screenplay prize. Parasite became the first non-English language film to win best picture.
As it has for much of awards season, Parasite appeared the favourite in the room. A standing ovation greeted Bong's win for international film. “I am ready to drink tonight,” said Bong to roars from the crowd. Unexpectedly called up again for best director, Bong saluted his fellow nominees, particularly Martin Scorsese, and concluded: “Now I'm ready to drink until tomorrow.”
As it did last year, the annual Dolby Theatre ceremony kicked off without a host. Janelle Monae opened the show entering a Mister Rogers set and singing A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
“I’m so proud to be standing here as a black queer artist telling stories," said Monae. "Happy Black History Month.” Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Oscar, for his performance as Arthur Fleck in Joker. This is first Oscar and fourth nomination.
"I've been a scoundrel in my life, I've been selfish, I've been cruel at times, I've been hard to work with. I'm grateful so many of you in this room have given me a second chance," Phoenix said in accepting his award.
"When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric, he said: Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow," he said in concluding his speech tearfully to a standing ovation.
Renee Zellweger wins the Best Actress award for her performance as Judy Garland, in the biopic Judy. It marked the second Oscar victory in four nominations for Zellweger, 50, a Texas-born performer whose immersion in the role of Garland also earned Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA awards.
Brad Pitt wins the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. “This is for my kids,” Pitt said in his acceptance speech, also thanking director Quentin Tarantino and his co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio. "I'm a bit gobsmacked. I'm not one to look back, but this has made me do so,” he added. Pitt bested a field of former Oscar winners: Joe Pesci and Al Pacino for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes) and Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood).
Eminem to everyone’s surprise performed his Oscar-winning track from 8 Mile, Lose Yourself, in a surprise performance that earned him a standing ovation.
Elton John wins his second Oscar, for the original son (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again, from Rocketman, a biopic on his life. John previously won for Can You Feel the Love Tonight, from The Lion King. This is his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin’s first Oscar.
“This Oscar is for Bernie,” Elton said in a post-win interview. “Without him, I’m nobody, He started the journey and we’re still together after 53 years. This film has taken 12 years, and in the end we got it made the right way. I’m so thrilled for Bernie because I love him so much.”
