Oscars 2024: Oppenheimer wins Best Picture, seven Oscars

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer dominated this year's Oscars, winning seven awards including Best Picture, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr.

Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second year in a row at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre, the 96th Academy Awards honoured the top films of 2023.

Leading the nominations was Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer with 13, closely followed by Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things with 11 and Martin Scorcese's Killers of the Flower Moon with 10.

Cillian Murphy won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role as the titular character in Oppenheimer, telling the audience that he was a "little overwhelmed".

"I owe you more than I can say," he told long-time collaborator director Christopher Nolan.

"Every single crew member, every single cast member from Oppenheimer, you guys carried me through.

"All my fellow nominees, I remain in awe of you guys, truly."

He was joined in the category by Bradley Cooper, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Giamatti and Colman Domingo.

"I''m a very proud Irishman standing here tonight," he told the crowd, also shouting out his wife and children.

Murphy dedicated his award, for playing the creator of the atomic bomb "to the peacemakers everywhere".

Best Actress went to Emma Stone for Poor Things, opening her acceptance speech by telling the audience that her dress had broken.

Thiswas her second win in the category, and the actress cried as she accepted her award.

It made her the eight actress to win two Oscars by the age of 35.

"It's not about me, it's about the team that came to create something bigger than the sum of its parts," she said.

Sandra Hüller, Lily Gladstone, Annette Bening and Carey Mulligan were also nominated, with Stone offering to share the award with them.

"I'm in awe of you and it has been such an honour to do all this together and I hope we get to continue to do this together.

"Yorgos [Lanthimos], thank you for the gift of a lifetime in Bella Baxter, I'm forever grateful, thank you for inviting all of us to be members of this team."

She ended her speech with a message for her family: "I just want to thank my family, my mom, my brother Spencer, my dad, my husband Dave, I love you so much. Most importantly my daughter, who is going to be three in three days and has turned our lives technicolour. I love you bigger than the whole sky my girl , thank you so much."

Best Picture went to Oppenheimer, making it the first time in twelve years that the same film has won both best actor and best picture.

The atomic bomb drama scooped the night's biggest accolade ahead of American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest.

"I could deny it, but I've been dreaming of this moment for so long," Emma Thomas, film producer and wife of director Christopher Nolan, said.

Christopher Nolan also won his first Oscar from eight nominations for the film, saying the Best Director honour "means the world" to him.

"There are so many people who have dragged me up here. Universal Studios, Donna Langley, thank you for seeing the potential in this.

"I have so many people to thank, the most incredible cast. Matt Damon, Robert, Emily, Florence, so many others at the top of their game led by the incredible Cillian Murphy."

He also gave a shout out to his family and wife Emma Thomas, "producer of all our films and all our children, I love you".

Robert Downey Jr. thanked his "terrible childhood" as he picked up his first Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his work in Oppenheimer.

The actor recovered from addiction and jail time that almost derailed his career in the 1990s and went on to star as Iron Man in the films that kicked off the superhero movie boom.

He went on to thank the cast and crew on the film, telling them they had made him a "better man".

"Here's my little secret, I needed this job more than it needed me. Chris knew it, Emma made sure she surrounded me with one of the great casts and crews of all time."

Da'Vine Joy Randolph broke down in tears as she accepted the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, paying tribute to her teacher Ron van Leiu.

"When I was the only black girl in that class and you saw me and told me I was enough and I told you I don't see myself. You said that's fine, you're gonna forge our own path, you're gonna lay a trail for yourself."

Presenters of Academy Awards included Emily Blunt, Ryan Gosling, Zendaya, Ariana Grande, Chris Hemsworth, Anya Taylor-Joy, Dwayne Johnson and previous winners of the four main acting awards.

Perhaps the most memorable award presentation of the night came from John Cena, who presented an award at the Oscars completely naked with just an envelope to cover himself and a pair of Birkenstocks on his feet.

The actor reluctantly presented the award for Best Costume Design in the buff as part of a sketch with Kimmel, referencing an infamous Oscars moment when a naked man ran on stage at the 1974 ceremony.

As he couldn't move the envelope to open it, there was a quick cut and he re-appeared in a golden toga.

Host Jimmy Kimmel's most memorable moment came when he read out a review from former US president Donald Trump posted during the ceremony.

“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars?,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and can never be.”

Kimmel’s response to the presumptive Republican nominee was equally scathing.

“Isn’t it past your jail time?” he asked to applause from the audience.

Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell performed Oscar-winning song What Was I Made For?, while Ryan Gosling performed nominated song I'm Just Ken in a sparkling pink suit with a surprise appearance from Guns N' Roses legend Slash. Both songs were from the Barbie soundtrack.

Becky G, Jon Batiste, and Scott George and the Osage Singers all performed their nominated songs as well.

Wellington-based digital visual effects company Wētā FX were creative and production partners for the winner of Best Animated Short: War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko.

Executive VFX producer David Conley said the firm was "incredibly proud" to have played a role in this meaningful and visually stunning short film.

“For it be recognised with an Academy Award speaks volumes to the filmmakers’ creative vision and leadership, and we could not be prouder to have worked alongside them to bring it to life.

"Peter Jackson - thank you so much. This film would not have happened without you," said one of the winners, also thanking the "talented team" at Wētā FX.

Wētā FX was itself nominated for an Academy Award for the company's work on Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 in the category of Best Visual Effects, which was beat out by Godzilla Minus One.

Best picture

• Oppenheimer

Best actress

• Emma Stone - Poor Things

Best actor

• Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer

Best supporting actress

• Da'Vine Joy Randolph - The Holdovers

Best supporting actor

• Robert Downey Jr - Oppenheimer

Best director

• Oppenheimer - Christopher Nolan

Best original song

• What Was I Made For? - Barbie (Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell)

Best original score

• Oppenheimer

Best adapted screenplay

• American Fiction

Best original screenplay

• Anatomy of a Fall

Best international feature

• The Zone of Interest

Best animated feature

• The Boy and the Heron

Best documentary feature

• 20 Days in Mariupol

Best cinematography

• Oppenheimer

Best sound

• The Zone of Interest

Best film editing

• Oppenheimer

Best visual effects

• Godzilla Minus One

Best costume design

• Poor Things

Best production design

• Poor Things

Best make-up and hair styling

• Poor Things

Best animated short

• War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Best documentary short

• The Last Repair Shop

Best live action short

• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar