Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, March 14, 2023
The 95th annual Academy Awards took place on March 12, 2023, at the Los Angeles Dolby Theater. This year, several Asians were representing many facets of the creative industry. It was undoubtedly a historic year with several wins, iconic presenters, and a memorable musical performance.
It is important to highlight this year’s academy as the strong numbers of representation from the South Asian region at the most prestigious award ceremony creates a positive roadmap for the youth and encourages them towards a more global life experience.
This year, Winners of Asian descent, namely, of Chinese and Indian ethnicity, took home statuettes in eight categories, the most ever in a single year.
Presence at the Oscars
Bollywood star and entrepreneur Deepika Padukone introduced the “Naatu Naatu” song performance, and producer and actor Mindy Kaling presented for Best Original Score, alongside Harold & Kumar’s John Cho. Oscar winners Riz Ahmed and Questlove presented the award for Best Documentary Feature film, while Lilly Singh was the co-presenter of the official pre-Oscars show.
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai also attended the Oscars in her capacity as the producer of the documentary ‘stranger at the gate.’
Michelle Yeoh, Daniel Kwan, Judy Chin, Jonathan Wang, and Ke Huy Quan were some of the key names in attendance who also proudly represented the region.
Makeup department head for the movie ‘The Whale,’ Judy Chin became the first woman of Asian descent to win for makeup and hairstyling while Michelle Yeoh became oscar’s first Asian best Actress Winner.
Nominations from South Asia
There were also several South Asian involved in nominations, including:
‘Naatu Naatu’ from S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR for Best Original Song. It was the first Indian feature film to be nominated for a category other than best International film at the Oscars and has already won a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award.
‘All That Breathes’ from Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, and Teddy Leifer for Best Documentary Feature is about two Delhi brothers trying to protect the black kite, a bird.
The Elephant Whisperers from Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga for Best Documentary Short category follows an indigenous couple who care for orphaned baby elephants in Tamil Nadu.
‘Stranger At the Gate’, from Joshua Seftel and executive producer Malala Yousafzai, for Best Documentary Short depicts a formerly Islamophobic marine’s change of heart.
And then there was the show stopper ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ which had the lead with 11 nominations, including Son Lux, with guitarist and composer Rafiq Bhatia, for Best Original Score.
By the end of the night, the film had won seven awards, including sweeping the top of the list, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. The film had also won big at several other award shows, a “clean sweep” similar to what ‘Slumdog Millionaire (2008)’ had achieved over a decade ago.
Memorable performance
singers Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj performed the catchy Telugu number live while a Hollywood crew danced and received a coveted standing ovation from the audience.
“The moves were basically all Indian…but the way t[the dancers] pulled it off was amazing,” Jr NTR said, praising the performance.
Asked about the win for the song, Jr NTR added, “It is not just our win, it is the whole country’s win. It feels amazing.”
Elephant whisperers
The Elephant Whisperers, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, became the first Oscar-winning film made by an Indian director and producer to win in the category. The film tells the story of an indigenous couple that has dedicated their lives to caring for orphaned baby elephants in a reserve in Tamil Nadu. The caretakers are some of the last in their line and must train the next generation.
Ms Gonsalves started her career as a camera operator for Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. “I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and the natural world, for the respect of indigenous communities, and empathy towards other living beings we share our space with, and, finally, for coexistence,” she said in her acceptance speech.
New Zealand leaves a mark of Excellence
New Zealand VFX company Wētā FX has won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for their work on the movie ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
Wētā’s Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett were at the 95th Academy Awards to receive the award.
Now a five-time Oscar winner, Letteri said he was incredibly proud of the artistic and technological advancements his team achieved on the film, which enabled James Cameron to bring this ambitious project to the screen.
“Eric, Dan, and I are honoured to represent the 1,700 Wētā FX crew that contributed to Avatar: The Way Of Water,” said Mr Letteri.
It is the seventh time Wētā FX has won the accolade of Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards, following wins for The Lord of The Rings trilogy, King Kong, Avatar, and The Jungle Book.
This year, the Oscar adds to the list of many other recognitions including a BAFTA Award, 9 Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards, and 2 ANNIE Awards.
Two other Wētā FX projects were also nominated alongside The Way of Water for Best Visual Effects – The Batman and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, proving the creative mark that New Zealand-based enterprise is leaving in the world of Visual Effects and art of movie making.
“To have New Zealand represented across three of the five nominations for Visual Effects only makes this moment more special,” said Mr Letteri.
Wētā FX is currently working on the upcoming Avatar sequels, with the next instalment scheduled to release on 20 December 2024.
