Oscars 2023: Full List of Winners, Reactions, and Upsets/Surprises

The curtains dropped on the 95th Academy Awards just in time to watch the end of the Knicks/Lakers game. And if I had to do it over, I’d still watch the Oscars over the game — and that’s not just because the Knicks won easily. The ceremony, best described by all of those middle-of-the-road adjectives, i.e. “safe,” “tasteful,” moved at a brisk pace, thanks not just to Jimmy Kimmel’s cock-eyed, crowd-pleasing monologues, but because of the sheer joy radiating from the winners who held their majestic gold statues. 

And the biggest winner, no surprise, was “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (EEAAO), taking home seven Oscars (it was nominated for eleven), including ‘Best Picture,’ ‘Best Director’ (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) , ‘Best Actress’ (Michelle Yeoh), ‘Best Supporting Actress’ (Jamie Lee Curtis) and ‘Best Supporting Actor’ (Ke Huy Quan). The acting winners provided the most honest tears of joy, with Curtis thanking her parents (Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh), Yeoh encouraging her peers to “never give up,” saying, “ladies, don’t let anybody tell you that you are past your prime.” Quan, perhaps the surest thing in a night that featured some obvious winners, stormed to the stage to accept his award, showing why he’s become an awards-season darling. His speech was, like Yeoh’s and Curtis’s, a heartfelt expression of gratitude and resilience, for sticking with it after multiple decades of a professional fits and starts. 

A Good Night for Yeoh, Fraser, and ‘EEAAO’

Brendan Fraser, another Hollywood veteran and first-time nominee, won ‘Best Actor’ for his larger-than-life performance in “The Whale,” and paid tribute to persistence, collaboration, and luck. He choked up when rehashing his professional journey, and thanking the film’s director, Darren Aronofsky “for throwing me a creative lifeline.” Joining the debut acting winners was an industry lifer, the director/writer/actress Sarah Polley, who won Best Adapted Screenplay for “Women Talking.” Polley had previously been nominated once in the same category, for “Away from Her” (2006).

Netflix had a multiple winner in “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which notched four prizes, including ‘Best International Feature’ and ‘Best Cinematography’ (James Friend). The streaming behemoth also won for ‘Best Animated Feature’ (“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”) and ‘Best Documentary Short’ (“The Elephant Whisperers”). 

Surprises and Upsets — the Full List

Several high-profile nominees went home empty handed, including “The Banshees of Inisherin” (nine nominations, no wins) “Elvis” (eight nominations) and “Tár” (six nominations). Major blockbusters saw some success, with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (‘Best Costume Design’) “Top Gun: Maverick” (‘Best Sound’) and “Avatar: The Way of Water” (‘Best Visual Effects’) — each taking home one Oscar.

For a full list of the winners, see below. As for my predictions, my winning percentage is even better than the Knicks’! 

Best Picture

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Amusement Park Films)
“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20^th Century Studios)
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) — winner
“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
“Tár” (Focus Features)
“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
“Triangle of Sadness” (Neon)
“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

Best Director

Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) — winner
Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”)
Todd Field (“Tár”)
Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett (“Tár”)
Ana de Armas (“Blonde”)
Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”)
Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”)
Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) — winner

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Austin Butler (“Elvis”)
Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) — winner 
Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”)
Bill Nighy (“Living”)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)
Hong Chau (“The Whale”)
Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) — winner 
Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”)
Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)
Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) — winner 

Cinematography

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (James Friend) — winner 
“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” (Darius Khondji)
“Elvis” (Mandy Walker)
“Empire of Light” (Roger Deakins)
“Tár” (Florian Hoffmeister)

Film Editing

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Mikkel E.G. Nielsen)
“Elvis”(Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond)
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (Paul Rogers) — winner 
“Tár” (Monika Willi)
“Top Gun: Maverick” (Eddie Hamilton)

Writing — Original Screenplay

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Martin McDonagh)
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) — winner 
“The Fabelmans” (Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner)
“Tár” (Todd Field)
“Triangle of Sadness” (Ruben Östlund)

Writing — Adapted Screenplay

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Screenplay by Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell)
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Rian Johnson)
“Living” (Kazuo Ishiguro)
“Top Gun: Maverick” (Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks)
“Women Talking” (Sarah Polley) — winner 

Production Design

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Christian M. Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper) — winner 
“Avatar: The Way of Water” (Dylan Cole and Ben Procter; Set Decoration: Vanessa Cole)
“Babylon” (Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino)
“Elvis” (Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy; Set Decoration: Bev Dunn)
“The Fabelmans” (Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara)

International Feature Film