The 98th Academy Awards brought a nomination record for Sinners, emotional depictions of motherhood in Hamnet and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and a history-making win for K-Pop Demon Hunters.

In a highly competitive industry, the Oscars ceremony on Sunday night (Monday AEDT) celebrated difference and the representation of historically underrepresented groups, uplifting diverse actors, filmmakers and films.

Director Ryan Coogler’s genre-bending Southern gothic-horror vampire film Sinners was nominated for a record number of 16 awards, and went on to win four, but missed out on Best Picture to One Battle After Another, which scooped six awards in total, including in the Best Director category for Paul Thomas Anderson.

The film, which explored black American history and the lasting scars of slavery, won Best Original Screenplay, a first Academy Award for director Ryan Coogler, and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of identical twin brothers.

The film featured a predominantly black cast, and Jordan thanked his predecessors in his acceptance speech.

“I stand here because of the people that came before me: Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whittaker, Will Smith.”

History was made when Autumn Durald Arkapaw won the award for Best Cinematography for Sinners, making her the first woman to ever win the award, and first woman of colour to be nominated.

During her acceptance speech, she called to celebrate women in film, asking the women in the room to stand up.

For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here.

Maggie Kang, director of K-Pop Demon Hunters

“I really want all the women in the room to stand up.” Arkapaw said. “Because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys.”

Motherhood was spotlighted, on a day that marked Mother’s Day in the UK.

The two actresses most tipped to win Best Actress, Jessie Buckley and Rose Byrne, both acted in films illustrating motherhood.

Australian actress Rose Byrne’s If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You is a darkly comedic portrayal of a woman’s role as a wife and mother, and the struggles of caring for children with chronic illness.

While Byrne lost out to Buckley, her nomination was still significant in spotlighting the experience of a mother and woman.

Buckley’s performance in Hamnet, depicting a mother’s grief and strength, explored the value of preserving memory in the face of loss.

The mother of a young girl herself, she spoke of the joys of motherhood in her acceptance speech.

“It’s Mother’s Day in the UK today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” she said.

Speaking of Hamnet’s director Chloé Zhao, she added: “To get to know this incandescent woman and journey to understand the capacity of a mother’s love is the greatest collision of my life.”

 

The memoriam section of the ceremony also featured a special tribute to leading women actresses who had passed away.

The representation of Korean music and culture was spotlighted in the animated film K-pop Demon Hunters.

It won awards for Best Animated Feature Film and was the first Korean pop song to win Best Original Song.

Co-writer and director Maggie Kang emphasised the importance of representation in film, in the acceptance speech for Best Animated Feature Film.

“For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here,” she said.

“This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere.”

Main image Davidlohr Bueso/Flickr.