The 2023 Oscars were a triumph for LGBTQ+ cinema, with queer film Everything Everywhere All at Once emerging as the big winner. With eleven nominations, the blockbuster collected seven awards at the ceremony on March 12, the most of any production.
The sci-fi dramedy was crowned Best Picture, becoming just the second-ever LGBTQ+ film to claim victory in the prestigious category, after Moonlight. Furthermore, the landmark moment marked the first time that a movie with an openly queer female lead collected the golden statuette.
Everything Everywhere All at Once was also awarded Best Original Screenplay, with Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert together winning Best Director. During their acceptance speech, Scheinert appeared to take a dig at Republican lawmakers in the US, thanking his parents for not suppressing his creativity “or dressing in drag as a kid, which is a threat to nobody”.
"Or dressing in drag as a kid, which is a threat to NOBODY." #Oscars pic.twitter.com/IRf4B2pn1o
— GLAAD (@glaad) March 13, 2023
60-year-old Michelle Yeoh made history as the first-ever Asian woman to be crowned Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance, while Ke Huy Quan and queer favourite Jamie Lee Curtis were recognised as Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.
Speaking to reporters in the winner’s press room after her victory, while stating her pride at being included among the history-making number of women nominated at the 2023 Oscars, Curtis also raised the importance of continuing to make the Academy Awards more inclusive. “How do you include everyone when there are binary choices,” she pondered, adding that the current categories pose difficulties for her “as the mother of a trans daughter.”
The final winner for Everything Everywhere All at Once was Paul Rogers for Best Film Editing, rounding off an incredible night for the A24 production.
It was also a celebratory occasion for The Whale, with Brendan Fraser crowned Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Charlie, a gay English teacher. The film also was recognised for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
They may not all be your “personal picks,” but one thing I *do* love about this year’s acting winners quartet at the #Oscars is how they’re all actors who have been counted out – or shut out – at various points in their careers and came back against the odds to come out on top. pic.twitter.com/oQnOAe5yMh
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) March 13, 2023
In addition to it being a momentous year for LGBTQ+ movies, the 2023 Oscars also featured a huge number of Irish nominees including An Cailín Ciúin, The Banshees of Inisherin and Paul Mescal in Aftersun. However, the success story came in the Best Live Action Short category, with An Irish Goodbye by Tom Berkeley and Ross White emerging victorious.
© 2023 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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