The Shape of Water was the biggest winner at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles with four Oscars, including best picture.
Frances McDormand won best actress for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and persuaded every female nominee to stand with her in a night full of statements about inclusion.
Gary Oldman was named best actor for playing Winston Churchill in World War Two epic Darkest Hour.
In her acceptance speech, Frances McDormand put her Oscar on the floor in front of her and addressed executives as the female nominees got to their feet.
Her request came amid a push for greater equality in film – especially in the wake of the Hollywood harassment scandal.
Frances McDormand finished her speech with the words: “I have two words to leave you with tonight – inclusion rider.”
She received a rousing reception for her best actress win, which came for playing a vengeance-seeking mother who is let down by the authorities after her daughter is raped and murdered.
It’s Frances McDormand’s second Oscar, 21 years after her first for Fargo.
The ceremony also marked the Me Too and Time’s Up campaigns with a segment presented by Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra, who have all accused Harvey Weinstein of harassment or assault.
Host Jimmy Kimmel addressed the issue head-on in his opening monologue, saying the downfall of Harvey Weinstein, and the reforms that had begun since, had not come soon enough.
He said: “What happened with Harvey and what’s happening all over was long overdue.
“We can’t let bad behavior slide any more. The world is watching us.”
Accepting his first ever Oscar, Gary Oldman mentioned his 98-year-old mother, among other people, telling her: “Thank you for your love and support. Put the kettle on. I’m bringing Oscar home.”
Guillermo del Toro won best director for The Shape of Water, which stars Sally Hawkins as a mute cleaning lady who has a relationship with a mysterious river-dwelling creature. It led the Oscar race with 13 nominations.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, who announced the wrong best picture winner in 2017, returned to present the same award this time.
Get Out won best original screenplay for its writer-director Jordan Peele.
Jordan Peele is the first black winner of the award and hailed a “renaissance” moment in Hollywood.
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk won three awards in the technical categories.
Lady Bird and The Post were among the films that were left empty-handed.
Casey Affleck has decided to pull out of this year’s Academy Awards, his publicist has confirmed.
By tradition, Casey Affleck – who won best actor for Manchester By The Sea in 2017 – would have been expected to present the best actress award this year.
Ben Affleck’s brother was sued by two female crew members for alleged harassment in 2010.
The actor denies the allegations and the lawsuits were settled out of court.
An Oscars spokeswoman confirmed that Casey Affleck would not attend, saying: “We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year.”
Casey Affleck’s accusers, producer Amanda White and director of photography Magdalena Gorka, say they were harassed during the making of the mockumentary I’m Still Here, which Affleck directed.
Amanda White claimed that Casey Affleck had refused to pay her salary because she would not spend the night in a hotel room with him.
Magdalena Gorka alleged that Casey Affleck, who was married at the time, had crawled into bed with her as she slept.
Casey Affleck’s lawyers argued that the allegations were part of a scheme to extort money from the actor.
The claims against Casey Affleck have drawn renewed attention in the months since abuse allegations were leveled against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
The Weinstein allegations sparked the rise of the #MeToo hashtag, which inspired a global movement of women and men to share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment.
More than 300 actresses, writers and directors responded by launching Time’s Up – a project to help fight harassment in the film industry and other workplaces.
The initiative was announced via a full-page ad printed in the New York Times.
This year’s Oscars ceremony will take place on March 4 in Los Angeles.
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