After a movie year often light on crowds, the Academy Awards named an unabashed crowd-pleaser, the deaf family drama 鈥淐ODA,鈥� best picture Sunday, handing Hollywood鈥檚 top award to a streaming service for the first time in a ceremony that saw the greatest drama when Will Smith strode onstage and slapped Chris Rock.

Sian Heder鈥檚 鈥淐ODA,鈥� which first premiered at a virtual Sundance Film Festival in winter 2021, started out as an underdog but gradually emerged as the Oscars鈥� feel-good favourite. It also had one very deep-pocketed backer in Apple TV+, which scored its first best picture Academy Award on Sunday, less than three years after launching the service.

It also handed another near-miss defeat to Netflix, the veteran streamer that for years has tried vainly to score best picture. Its best chance, Jane Campion鈥檚 鈥淭he Power of the Dog,鈥� came in with a leading 12 nominations. It won one, for Campion鈥檚 direction.

But 鈥淐ODA鈥� rode a wave of goodwill driven by its cast including Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Emilia Jones and Daniel Durant. It鈥檚 the first film with a largely deaf cast to win best picture. 鈥淐ODA鈥� managed that despite being one of the least-nominated films with only three coming into Sunday. Not since 1932鈥檚 鈥淕rand Hotel鈥� has a movie won best picture with fewer than four nods.

Kotsur also won best supporting actor to become the first male deaf actor to win an Oscar, and only the second deaf actor to do so, joining his castmate and 鈥淐ODA鈥� co-star Matlin.

鈥淭his is for the Deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community,鈥� said Kotsur, signing from the stage. 鈥淭his is our moment.鈥�

But most were talking about another moment. After Rock as a presenter joked to Jada Pinkett Smith that he was looking forward to a sequel to 鈥淕.I. Jane,鈥� Will Smith stood up from his seat near the stage, strode up to Rock and smacked him. After sitting back down, Smith shouted at Rock to 鈥渒eep my wife鈥檚 name out of your (expletive) mouth.鈥� When Rock, who joked about Jada Pinkett Smith while hosting the Oscars in 2016, protested that it was just a 鈥淕I Jane鈥� joke, Smith repeated the same line.

鈥淭hat was the greatest night in the history of television,鈥� Rock said, before awkwardly returning to presenting best documentary, which went to Questlove鈥檚 鈥淪ummer of Soul (鈥�or When the Revolution Was Not Televised).鈥�

The moment shocked the Dolby Theatre audience and viewers at home. At the commercial break, presenter Daniel Kaluuya came up to hug Smith, and Denzel Washington escorted him to the side of the stage. The two talked and hugged and Tyler Perry came over to talk as well.

Smith, who plays Venus and Serena Williams鈥� father in 鈥淜ing Richard,鈥� later in the show won best actor, his first Oscar. It meant Smith again took the stage shortly after what seemed likely to be one of the most infamous moments in Academy Awards history.

Smith鈥檚 acceptance speech vacillated between defense and apology.

鈥淩ichard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,鈥� Smith said in his first remarks. He continued: 鈥淚鈥檓 being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.鈥�

Smith shared what Washington told him: 鈥淎t your highest moment, be careful because that鈥檚 when the devil comes for you.鈥�

Ultimately, Smith apologized to the academy and to his fellow nominees.

鈥淎rt imitates life. I look like the crazy father鈥� said Smith. 鈥淏ut love will make you do crazy things.鈥�

Up until that moment, the show had been running fairly smoothly. Ariana DeBose became the first Afro-Latina to win an Academy Award for supporting actress. Jane Campion won the Oscar best director for 鈥淭he Power of the Dog,鈥� her open-plains psychodrama that twisted and upended western conventions.

Campion, who had been the first woman ever twice nominated in the category (previously for 1993鈥檚 鈥淭he Piano鈥�), is only the third woman to win best director. It鈥檚 also the first time the directing award has ever gone to women in back-to-back years, after 鈥淣omadland鈥� filmmaker Chloe Zhao won last year.

Best actress went to Jessica Chastain, who also won her first Oscar. Chastain won for her empathetic portrayal of the televangelist Tammy Faye in 鈥淭he Eyes of Tammy Faye,鈥� a movie she also produced. The award was presented by Anthony Hopkins, who last year was absent when he surprisingly won best actor in that ceremony鈥檚 final award.

After record-low ratings and a pandemic-marred 2021 show, producers this year turned to one of the biggest stars around 鈥� Beyonce虂 鈥� to kick off an Oscars intended to revive the awards鈥� place in pop culture. After an introduction from Venus and Serena Williams, Beyonce虂 performed her 鈥淜ing Richard鈥� nominated song, 鈥淏e Alive,鈥� in an elaborately choreographed performance from a lime-colored, open-air stage in Compton, where the Williams sisters grew up.

Hosts Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall then began the telecast from the Dolby Theatre.

鈥淎ll right, we are here at the Oscars,鈥� began Hall. Sykes finished: 鈥淲here movie lovers unite and watch TV.鈥�

Sykes, Schumer and Hall breezily joked through prominent Hollywood issues like pay equity 鈥� they said three female hosts were 鈥渃heaper than one man鈥� 鈥� the Lady Gaga drama that Sykes called 鈥淗ouse of Random Accents,鈥� the state of the Golden Globes (now relegated to the memoriam package, said Sykes) and Leonardo DiCaprio鈥檚 girlfriends. Their most pointed political point came at the end of their routine, in which they promised a great night and then alluded to Florida鈥檚 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay鈥� bill.

鈥淎nd for you people in Florida, we鈥檙e going to have a gay night,鈥� said Sykes.

The first broadcast award went, fittingly, to Ariana DeBose, who became the first openly LGBTQ actor and first Latina to win best supporting actress. Her win came 60 years after Rita Moreno won for the same role in the 1961 original 鈥淲est Side Story.鈥� DeBose thanked Moreno for leading the way for 鈥渢ons of Anitas like me.鈥�

鈥淵ou see an openly queer woman of color, an Afro-Latina, who found her strength and life through art. And that is, I think, what we鈥檙e here to celebrate,鈥� said DeBose. 鈥淪o if anyone has ever questioned your identity or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this 鈥� there is indeed a place for us.鈥�

Later, Kotsur became the first male deaf actor to ever win an acting Oscar, and joined his 鈥淐ODA鈥� costar Marlee Matlin at the only deaf actors to win an Academy Award. He received a standing ovation while many in the Dolby gave the Deaf clap, waving both hands in the air.

鈥淓ncanto,鈥� the Disney hit propelled by its chart-topping soundtrack, won best animated film. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who penned the film鈥檚 hit songs, missed the ceremony after his wife tested positive for COVID-19. Ryusuke Hamaguchi鈥檚 three-hour Japanese drama 鈥淒rive My Car,鈥� one of the year鈥檚 most acclaimed films, won for best international film.

After two years of pandemic, and beneath a warm California sun Sunday, the Hollywood rite of glamour again got into swing, with a jammed red carpet and a COVID-tested audience.

To help regain the cultural spotlight, the Oscars leaned heavily on musical performances (Billie Eilish, Reba McEntire), film anniversaries (鈥淭he Godfather,鈥� 鈥淧ulp Fiction,鈥� 鈥淲hite Men Can鈥檛 Jump鈥�) and as many mentions of the 鈥淓ncanto鈥� breakout song, 鈥淲e Don鈥檛 Talk About Bruno,鈥� as possible. That made for an often buoyant ceremony that put less focus on the pandemic. The Ukrainian-born Mila Kunis led a 30-second moment of silence for Ukraine. Some stars, like Sean Penn, had lobbied the academy to have Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak at the ceremony

Aside from a few blue ribbons spotted on the red carpet, politics were seldom center stage. The Oscars instead doubled down on razzle dazzle, and the movies as an escape. Producers brought in the likes of BTS and Tony Hawk to rope in more viewers. Some things worked better than others. Fan favorite rankings, as voted on by Twitter users 鈥� in a moment unlikely to be remember as an Oscar highpoint 鈥� honored Zack Snyder鈥檚 version of 鈥淛ustice League.鈥�

Feel-good movies also fared well. Sian Heder鈥檚 family drama 鈥淐ODA,鈥� a coming-of-age film about the hearing daughter of a deaf family, won for best adapted screenplay. Kenneth Branagh鈥檚 autobiographical 鈥淏elfast,鈥� an affectionate family drama bathed in nostalgia and shot in black-and-white, took best original screenplay.

Eilish and her brother Finneas, won for their Bond theme to 鈥淣o Time to Die,鈥� a song that was released before the pandemic began. The film was subsequently delayed several times.

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The Academy Awards got underway Sunday off-camera, with the first eight awards on the night being handed out at the Dolby Theatre before the start of the ABC telecast. The Dolby was largely full in time for the 7 p.m. EDT pre-show, dubbed the 鈥済olden hour鈥� by the academy. Speeches were later edited into the broadcast.

鈥淒une鈥� got out to an early lead in those early awards, and it kept it through the night. The biggest blockbusters of this year鈥檚 10 best-picture nominees, 鈥淒une鈥� won for production design, cinematography, editing, visual effects, sound and Hans Zimmer鈥檚 score. Though it鈥檚 not favored in the top awards, 鈥淒une鈥� was widely expected to clean up in the technical categories.

Greig Fraser鈥檚 cinematography win denied one chance for Oscar history. Some had been rooting for Ari Wenger, who lensed Jane Campion鈥檚 鈥淭he Power of the Dog,鈥� to become the first woman to win best cinematography, the sole Oscar category that has never been won by a woman in the Academy Awards鈥� nine decade-plus history

Best makeup and hairstyling went to Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh for 鈥淭he Eyes of Tammy Faye.鈥� That film鈥檚 star and producer, Jessica Chastain, had been among the many academy members who thought all the awards should have been handed out live during the broadcast. Chastain hugged each winner as they took the stage.

鈥淚 just hope that each and every day on set everyone takes a moment to just look around and look at all those talented people who work hard,鈥� said Dowds, the make-up artist.

鈥淭he Queen of Basketball,鈥� about the basketball great Lusia Harris, took best short documentary film. Its executive producers include Steph Curry and Shaquille O鈥橬eal. Best animated short went to 鈥淭he Windshield Wiper,鈥� while 鈥淭he Long Goodbye,鈥� a blistering fictional short starring Riz Ahmed, took best fiction short.

鈥淭his is for everyone who feels like they鈥檙e stuck in No Man鈥檚 Land,鈥� said Ahmed. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not alone. We鈥檒l meet you there.鈥�

Behind this year鈥檚 telecast changes was alarm over the Oscars fast-falling ratings. While drops have been common to all major network award shows, last year鈥檚 show attracted only about 10 million viewers, less than half of the 23.6 million the year before. A decade ago, it was closer to 40 million.

Netflix鈥檚 鈥淭he Power of the Dog,鈥� Campion鈥檚 gothic western, came in with a leading 12 nominations and a good chance of snagging the top award. But all the momentum is with Sian Heder鈥檚 deaf family drama 鈥淐ODA,鈥� which, despite boasting just three nods, is considered the favorite. A win would be a triumph for Apple TV+, which acquired the movie out of the Sundance Film Festival last year and has spent big promoting it to academy members.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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