Oscars 2020: 'Parasite' Triumph, Brad Pitt, 'Joker' And More

Joaquin Phoenix won the actor in a leading role for “Joker,” while Brad Pitt scored an Oscar for the best actor in a supporting role for “Once upon a time in Hollywood.”

What Happened

The 92nd Academy Awards was held Sunday night at the Hollywood Dolby Theatre. This is the second year in a row that the Oscars ceremony was held without a host. Comparing the hostless event to President Trump’s impeachment former Oscar host, Billy Crystal said on Jimmy Kimmel Live, “This year is another no-host show, which is like having a trial without witnesses.” He added, “It moves faster, but it's not quite the result that you want.”

Among the winners this year was Bong Joon-ho, whose crime-drama “Parasite,” a movie about an impoverished scheming family that pretends to be unrelated to each other to infiltrate a wealthy family. The movie also won the Oscar for the best international film.

Joaquin Phoenix won the best actor Oscar for "Joker," based on DC Comics characters. Phoneix had previously also won the best actor at the Baftas, the Screen Actors Guild awards, and the Critic’s Choice awards for the same role.

This year’s Oscars had some lighthearted moments when a gigantic Oscar statue outside the venue was carried out of the rain leading to many funny tweets about stars making off with an award when they have not won one.

Why It Matters

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is trying to remain relevant to the times. The 6,000 members that comprise the academy are largely white. They are proposed by people working in the movie industry like screenwriters and makeup artists.

In recent years Oscars have come under attack for their lack of diversity. In the years 2015 and 2016, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was trending on Twitter. Ten years ago Kathryn Bigelow became the first-ever woman to win an Oscar for the best director for "The Hurt Locker," this year’s nominations which excluded any woman from the nominations of the best director is reflective that the awards are still struggling with the issue of diversity. 

However, the growing internationalization of Oscars may present some hope. As “Parasite” producer Kwak Sin Ae said after collecting her award for the best picture, “I feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now.”

Photo Credit: Screenshot of Online Stream