Green Book has won the Oscar for best picture at the 91st Academy Awards. It was in contention with Roma, The Favourite, Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, and Vice. While Roma was a favourite having won the best picture at BAFTA’s and Critics’ Choice Awards, Green Book stole the show.
Green Book, which explores the race relations in the US in the 1960s, is based on a true story of friendship and relationship between a working class Italian-American bouncer, who becomes a driver of a world-class African American pianist Dr Don Shirley (played by Mahershala Ali) on a concert tour in the American South in 1962. The film also won awards for original screenplay and best supporting actor.
The Favourite star Olivia Colman won her first Oscar as Best Actress in a Leading Role category. She was teary-eyed when the award was announced in her name. For many, it was a surprise as Glenn Close, who had dominated in the same category throughout the award season, for The Wife did not win.
In her acceptance speech, Colman thanked her costars, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, who play royal cousins to Queen Anne( Colman). The film is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and will release in India by Fox Star Studios on March 1.
While Glenn Close won the Best Actress, actor Rami Malek received an Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role for Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek was the favourite to win, having previously won the Best Actor at BAFTA’s and Screen Actors Guild and best actor ( drama) at the Golden Globes. He was competing against Christian Bale ( Vice), Bradley Cooper( A Star is Born), Willem Dafoe( At Eternity’s Gate)and Viggo Mortensen( Green Book).
Bohemian Rhapsody is a biopic on Freddie Mercury and the British rock band Queen, and explores the rise of the band running parallel with the journey of the lead singer’s personal life, his sexuality and how he dealt with his fame.
And, the best director honour went to the Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron for his black-and-white semi-autobiographical film Roma. It is Cuaron’s second in the same category having won the Oscar in 2014 for Gravity. The director described Roma as a film that brings to fore the sort of character more often consigned to the background, “ at a time when we are being encouraged to look away’’. He thanked his actors, Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira, saying “they are the film”. His film also won the Best Cinematography Award and then for the Best Foreign Language Film. Cuaron received 4 nominations in four different categories for the same film. He is only the fourth person with the feat.
It was also a first for Lady Gaga. The singer-actress took home her first Oscar in the Best Original Song category for “Shallow”- a track from the hit film- A Star is Born. The award went to Gaga and her team. Co –writers- Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Anthony Rossomando. In her speech, she thanked the director of the film, Bradley Cooper for “believing in us”.
While, Ludwig Goranssson, the composer for Black Panther won the best original score Oscar.
Here is the Oscars 2019 complete winner list
Best Picture: Green Book
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron , Roma
Best Actress: Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Best Actor: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Best Foreign Film: Roma (Mexico)
Best Animated Feature Film: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Best Original Screenplay: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly for Green Book
Best Adapted Screenplay: Charlie Wachtel& David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee for Blackkklansman
Best Original Score: Ludwig Goransson, Black Panther
Best Original Song: Lady Gaga, Mike Ronson, Anthony Rossomondo and Andrew Wyatt for A Star Is Born
Best Documentary Feature: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Free Solo
Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler( Production Design); Jay Hart( Set Decoration) for Black Panther
Best Costume Design: Ruth Carter for Black Panther
Makeup & Hairstyling:Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe, and Patricia Dehaney for Vice
Best Sound Mixing: Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali for Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Sound Editing: John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone for Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Cinematography: AlfonsoCuarón for Roma
Best Film Editing: John Ottman for Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Documentary Short: Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton for Period.End of Sentence
Best Animated Short: Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb for Bao
Best Visual Effects: Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm for First Man
Best Live Action Short: Guy Nattiv and Jamie Ray Newman, Skin