On Sunday Mar. 12,  the 95th Oscars aired. The Oscars are an annual award ceremony that recognize what has been done in the film industry over the past year.  Even though there weren’t any moments like last year when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, there were many amazing wins and performances. 

Here were some of my favorite key moments: 

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” follows the character Evelyn Wang, a Chinese-American immigrant, through different dimensions where she has to fight off different antagonists. This movie was awarded 7 Oscars, stretching from Best Picture to Best Actress. This is a very empowering film and deserved to win all the Oscars it did. 

There were two very memorable musical performances at this year’s oscars. The first being Rhianna’s performance of “Lift Me Up,” which was dedicated to the late Chadwich Boseman who played Black Panther. The second performance was by Lady Gaga, and she performed “Hold My Hand.” This song was a tribute to the late Tony Scott, director of “Top Gun Maverick.” 

Both of these performances were deeply emotional and had a wonderful meaning behind them. While Rhianna had more going on on stage, on the contrary, Lady Gaga just sang and let her voice tell a story. Both performances were well done and definitely worth watching. 

Ke Huy Quan won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. In his emotional speech he talked about his journey to get where he is, and he even said that “this is the American dream.” He has made many connections while working in the industry and thanked many people.  Ke Huy Quan said that “dreams are something you have to believe in,” and he embodied that message while he stood on the stage and accepted his Oscar. This was an amazing speech from the heart and a well deserved win. 

“The Whale” won two Oscars as well. Brendon Fraser won one for Best Actor, and it won Best Makeup and Hairstyling. “Top Gun Maverick” won in the Sound category, and “Avatar: Way Of the Water” won in the Visual Effects category. These were all well deserved awards, and there were many more at this year’s Oscars.