Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s multiverse-spanning film Everything Everywhere All at Once made history at the Oscars by becoming the first film to receive three acting awards and also win Best Picture. Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan each received acting honors at the 95th Academy Awards, recognizing the film’s extraordinary ensemble performances.
The ceremony, hosted by television presenter Jimmy Kimmel, took place live at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023. The 95th Academy Awards celebrated the achievements chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences members for the films of 2022. The event brought together more than ten thousand voting members to acknowledge outstanding work in filmmaking across numerous categories.
The evening’s standout success came from the indie studio A24’s unexpected critical and box-office hit, Everything Everywhere All at Once, which secured seven Academy Awards, including the top prize of Best Picture. The directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—collectively known as the Daniels—were awarded Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Directing, recognizing their inventive storytelling and energetic, genre-defying approach.
This year’s telecast marked a shift from the prior two ceremonies. Producers opted to scale back self-referential comedy sketches and instead deliver a more earnest and celebratory show. Jimmy Kimmel’s opening remarks highlighted notable nominees and milestones, and a voiceover introduced each winner’s personal journey before they took the stage. While a few lighter comedy moments fell flat and a handful of winners had to contend with being cut off, the broadcast largely evoked the classic, reverent tone of traditional Oscar nights, filled with memorable moments that emphasized the cultural importance of cinema.
Musical performances were an emotional focal point. Lenny Kravitz delivered a subdued, poignant rendition of “Calling All Angels” during the In Memoriam segment, introduced by an emotional John Travolta, who paid tribute to his late Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John. All five nominees for Best Original Song performed, including Lady Gaga, who had initially declined to appear but ultimately joined the program. Gaga chose a restrained, intimate presentation compared with some of her larger past performances, and it resonated emotionally with the audience.
Audience favorite Brendan Fraser took home the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Fraser, who has been open about his past struggles and the adversity that shaped his life and career, gave a heartfelt, tearful acceptance speech in which he thanked those who supported him and reflected on the personal journey that led him back into the spotlight.
The winners of the 95th Academy Awards (2023)
Best Picture – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Other nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front; Avatar: The Way of Water; The Banshees of Inisherin; Elvis; The Fabelmans; Tár; Top Gun: Maverick; Triangle of Sadness; Women Talking.
Animated Feature Film – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Other nominees: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; The Sea Beast; Turning Red.
Documentary Feature – Navalny
Other nominees: All That Breathes; All the Beauty and the Bloodshed; Fire of Love; A House Made of Splinters.
International Feature Film – All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Other nominees: Argentina, 1985 (Argentina); Close (Belgium); EO (Poland); The Quiet Girl (Ireland).
Directing – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Other nominees: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin; Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans; Todd Field, Tár; Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness.
Cinematography – James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front
Other nominees: Darius Khondji, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths; Mandy Walker, Elvis; Roger Deakins, Empire of Light; Florian Hoffmeister, Tár.
Film Editing – Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Other nominees: Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, The Banshees of Inisherin; Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond, Elvis; Monika Willi, Tár; Eddie Hamilton, Top Gun: Maverick.
Actress in a Leading Role – Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Other nominees: Cate Blanchett, Tár; Ana de Armas, Blonde; Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie; Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans.
Actor in a Leading Role – Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Other nominees: Austin Butler, Elvis; Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin; Paul Mescal, Aftersun; Bill Nighy, Living.
Actress in a Supporting Role – Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Other nominees: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Hong Chau, The Whale; Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin; Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Actor in a Supporting Role – Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Other nominees: Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin; Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway; Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans; Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin.
Production Design – All Quiet on the Western Front
Other nominees: Avatar: The Way of Water; Babylon; Elvis; The Fabelmans.
Costume Design – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Other nominees: Babylon; Elvis; Everything Everywhere All at Once; Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.
Makeup and Hairstyling – The Whale
Other nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front; The Batman; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Elvis.
Visual Effects – Avatar: The Way of Water
Other nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front; The Batman; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Top Gun: Maverick.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) – Sarah Polley, Women Talking
Other nominees: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell, All Quiet on the Western Front; Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; Kazuo Ishiguro, Living; Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, Top Gun: Maverick.
Writing (Original Screenplay) – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Other nominees: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin; Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans; Todd Field, Tár; Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness.
Music (Original Score) – Volker Bertelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front
Other nominees: Justin Hurwitz, Babylon; Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin; Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All at Once; John Williams, The Fabelmans.
Music (Original Song) – “Naatu Naatu” from RRR
Other nominees: “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman; “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick; “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Sound Mixing – Top Gun: Maverick
Other nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front; Avatar: The Way of Water; The Batman; Elvis.
Short Film (Animated) – The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Other nominees: The Flying Sailor; Ice Merchants; My Year of Dicks; An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It.
Documentary Short Film – The Elephant Whisperers
Other nominees: Haulout; How Do You Measure a Year?; The Martha Mitchell Effect; Stranger at the Gate.
Short Film (Live Action) – An Irish Goodbye
Other nominees: Ivalu; Le Pupille; Night Ride; The Red Suitcase.
The 95th Academy Awards highlighted both mainstream and independent filmmaking, recognizing technical mastery, inventive storytelling, and powerful performances. The dominance of Everything Everywhere All at Once—across directing, writing, editing and three acting prizes—underscored the Academy’s recognition of bold, original filmmaking. At the same time, wins in categories like International Feature, Animation, and Documentary reflect the wide range of voices and cinematic forms celebrated during the ceremony.
Beyond the winners, the night offered moments that will long be remembered: emotional acceptance speeches, musical tributes, and the reminder that awards season is as much about honoring craft and collaboration as it is about celebrating individual achievement. The Oscars continue to serve as a yearly snapshot of the film industry—its trends, triumphs, and the artists whose work resonated most deeply with both peers and audiences in the year past.