Independent film studio A24 has made history, becoming the first production company to ever sweep the Oscars’ top prizes. This unprecedented achievement was thanks to a strong showing by Everything Everywhere All At Once, as well as Brendan Fraser’s critically-acclaimed performance in The Whale.
The 95th Academy Awards took place at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre on Sunday, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and tolerated by millions of viewers around the globe. Celebrating some of the best films and filmmakers of 2022, those honoured included Best Adapted Screenplay winner Women Talking, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score winner All Quiet on the Western Front, and Best Costume Design winner Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
However, it was films produced by A24 that ruled the night, ultimately taking home Best Picture, Best Director, and all four acting awards.
Almost all of these major categories were won by Everything Everywhere All at Once, with Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis winning Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress respectively. Meanwhile, Brendan Fraser took Best Lead Actor for The Whale, cementing A24’s dominance at the 2023 Oscars.
In addition to the six big awards, A24 films also won Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing through Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling through The Whale. The independent studio eventually ended the night with a total of nine golden statues, eight of them won by Everything Everywhere All At Once.
A24 had received a total of 18 Oscar nominations across all its competing films, with Everything Everywhere All at Once leading the pack at 11. This made it not only the most nominated film in A24’s catalogue, but also the most nominated film this year. The Whale received three nominations, while Causeway received one. A24 had also distributed Aftersun, Close, and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which all received one nomination each.
It’s an outstanding achievement for the New York-based company, which previously won its first Academy Awards for Moonlight in 2017. It just goes to show that investing in new stories from new voices does pay off.
