Oscars: Green Book wins top prize

Green Book has been named 'Best Picture' at the 2019 Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Peter Farrelly and the cast and crew of Green Book accept the award for best picture.

Peter Farrelly and the cast and crew of Green Book accept the award for best picture. Source: AAP

Road trip movie Green Book won best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, while Mexico's Alfonso Cuaron was chosen as best director for his sentimental film Roma.

In an upset, Britain's Olivia Colman got the best actress Oscar for The Favourite, beating presumed front-runner Glenn Close, who starred in The Wife.

"Glenn Close - you have been my idol for so long, and this is not how I wanted it to be," a delighted but shocked Colman told her fellow actress, sitting in the audience.

Mahershala Ali poses with the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role.
Mahershala Ali poses with the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role. Source: AAP


Rami Malek won for his role as late frontman Freddie Mercury in 21st Century Fox musical Bohemian Rhapsody. The film won three other Academy Awards.

"I may not have been the obvious choice, but I guess it worked out," said Malek, who had been favoured to win the award.



A still from Green Book.
A still from Green Book. Source: AAP


Australia had a rough night at the Oscars, with The Favourite's screenwriter Tony McNamara missing out.

The original screenplay Oscar was won by Green Book's Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly.




While Australian production designer for The Favourite Fiona Crombie was bypassed when Black Panther's Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart collected the award.



Roma, the black-and-white Netflix film in Spanish and the indigenous Mixtec language, won two other Oscars, including foreign language film - a first for Mexico.

But it was denied what could have been the first best picture Oscar for a streaming service.

Olivia Colman accepts the award for best performance by an actress in a leading role.
Olivia Colman accepts the award for best performance by an actress in a leading role. Source: AAP


Green Book, from Universal Pictures took two other Oscars - for best original screenplay and supporting actor Mahershala Ali, who played a black pianist touring the segregated US South in the 1960s.

The Academy Awards ceremony was held without a host for the first time since 1989 and instead was filled with powerhouse music performances.

Billy Porter
Musical theatre star was one of the most striking figures on the red carpet in his tuxedo gown. Source: AAP


They included an emotional duet by Lady Gaga and her A Star is Born director Bradley Cooper of their original song nominee Shallow, which brought Gaga her first Oscar.

British band Queen got the Academy Awards ceremony off to a rousing start with a performance of their hit songs We Are the Champions and We Will Rock You that brought the A-list crowd to its feet.

Regina King won her first Oscar for her supporting role as a mother fighting for justice in If Beale Street Could Talk.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP, SBS



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world