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    ‘I’m Still Here’ Wins Oscar for Best International Feature

    The Brazilian film “I’m Still Here,” based on the true story of an activist whose dissident politician husband disappeared at the hands of a military government, won the Academy Award for best international feature.Directed by Walter Salles, the movie was a blockbuster in Brazil, where many remember the legacy of the military dictatorship, which lasted from 1964 to 1985. The film is based on a memoir of the same name by Marcelo Rubens Paiva: the son of Eunice Paiva, the film’s main character, and Rubens Paiva, her politician husband who disappeared after being arrested in a 1971 military raid of the Paiva house.“This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and to resist,” Salles said while accepting the award. “This prize goes to her. Her name is Eunice Paiva. And it goes to the two extraordinary women who gave life to her: Fernanda Torres, and Fernanda Montenegro.”The film’s lead actress, Torres, won the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama in a surprise victory in January and was also nominated for the best actress Oscar, but lost to Mikey Madison of “Anora.” Torres was the second Brazilian actress to receive a nod for that prize: The first was her mother, Montenegro, a grande dame of Brazilian film who plays an older version of her daughter’s character in “I’m Still Here.” She was nominated in 1999 for “Central Station,” also directed by Salles.“I’m Still Here” won in a category that included France’s entry, the Spanish-language musical “Emilia Pérez,” which was once an Oscars front-runner; the Danish social drama “The Girl With the Needle”; the wordless Latvian animated film “Flow”; and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” a film shot in secret in Iran and submitted by Germany.“I’m Still Here” is also nominated for best picture, making it the first Brazilian-produced film to compete for the top prize at the Oscars. More

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    Adrien Brody Wins Oscar for Best Actor for ‘The Brutalist’

    Adrien Brody has won his second Oscar, this time for playing the fictional Hungarian architect László Tóth in the three-and-a-half-hour epic “The Brutalist.” The win on Sunday came 22 years after Brody received the best actor trophy for his work in “The Pianist,” which made him the youngest performer to ever receive that award. Both “The Brutalist” and “The Pianist” center on Holocaust survivor characters played by Brody.“Acting is a very fragile profession,” Brody said after accepting the award. “It looks very glamorous, and in certain moments it is. But the one thing that I’ve gained, having the privilege to come back here, is to have some perspective.”“No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away,” he continued. “I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.”“The Brutalist” charts László’s arrival in America after World War II, where he meets a wealthy industrialist (Guy Pearce) who enlists him to build a massive institute in Pennsylvania. Throughout the film’s awards run, Brody has spoken about his connection to the role through his mother, the photographer Sylvia Plachy, who was born in Hungary and lost relatives in the concentration camps.“I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression and of antisemitism and racism and othering,” Brody said in a speech that saw the orchestra start to play music in an attempt to get him to conclude before he appealed to let him keep talking.“And I believe that I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world,” he continued. “And I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”But Brody’s campaign also weathered some controversy when it emerged that the film used artificial intelligence to improve the dialogue spoken in Hungarian. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Brody said: “Obviously, his postproduction process only touched some lines spoken in Hungarian. Nothing of the dialect was altered.”Despite the social media hubbub, Brody was the favorite to win the Oscar. He also won the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the Critics Choice Award. More

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    Khalil Fong, Hong Kong Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 41

    Singing in both Mandarin and English, he brought a soul and R&B sensibility to Chinese pop.Khalil Fong, a Hong Kong singer-songwriter who infused a soul and R&B sensibility into Chinese pop songs, died on Feb. 21. He was 41.His death was announced on Saturday by his record label, Fu Music. The announcement did not say where Mr. Fong had died or specify a cause of death, but it said he had battled a “relentless illness” for five years.Beloved for its soulful vocals and distinctive blend of soul and Mandarin pop, Mr. Fong’s music found an audience in Hong Kong, mainland China and much of the wider Chinese-speaking world.“Trying to introduce soul music, or soul R&B, was not the easiest thing,” he said in a 2016 interview with The South China Morning Post, noting that the genre was not widely embraced in the region. “One of the things I wanted to do was to introduce this type of music within the context of Chinese language.”He broke into the popular music scene in 2005, when Warner Music Hong Kong released his funky, syncopated debut album, “Soulboy.” In the following decade, he released eight albums and performed in stadiums and large concert halls around the world, wearing his signature thick black glasses.But Mr. Fong’s career was cut short by health problems, and in recent years he had largely retreated from the public eye. Inspiration never stopped flowing, however, and he sporadically released singles.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Morgan Freeman Honors Gene Hackman at Oscars

    Morgan Freeman honored Gene Hackman at the Academy Awards on Sunday, opening the telecast’s in memoriam segment by saying that the film community had “lost a giant.”Last week, Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their home in New Mexico. In recent days, the question of how they died has consumed Hollywood and bewildered the community of Santa Fe.Freeman appeared with Hackman in the 1992 western “Unforgiven,” which won Hackman his second Oscar, and the 2000 thriller “Under Suspicion.”“Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work,” Freeman said.Calling Hackman a “dear friend,” Freeman noted that the actor often said that he did not think about his legacy but hoped that people would remember him “as someone who tried to do good work.”“So I think I speak for us all when I say, Gene, you’ll be remembered for that, and for so much more,” Freeman said.The producers of the telecast had only a few days to decide how they would honor one of the giants of acting. On Wednesday, law enforcement found Mr. Hackman’s body in the mud room of his home outside Santa Fe, next to his cane and sunglasses. Ms. Arakawa’s body was discovered in a bathroom, near an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the countertop.An examination of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker indicated that the actor had died on Feb. 17, the Santa Fe County sheriff said. A detective wrote in an affidavit that Ms. Arakawa’s body had shown signs of decomposition and that Mr. Hackman showed signs of death “similar and consistent” with his wife.It could take weeks or longer for investigators to piece together a timeline as they interview the couple’s contacts and wait for toxicology results and autopsy reports. More

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    Halle Berry and Adrien Brody Recreate Famous Oscars Kiss on Red Carpet

    Plenty of kisses were shared on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday night — but none could have been as nostalgic as the moment Adrien Brody and Halle Berry locked lips.More than two decades after Brody planted a shocking kiss on Berry at the 2003 Oscars after winning the best actor statuette for his role in “The Pianist,” she returned the favor in grand fashion as onlookers cheered. The moment, captured by Access Hollywood, quickly spread across social media.“That was one hell of a night for him, and for me as well,” Berry told Variety after smooching Brody, who is nominated for best actor for his role in “The Brutalist.” “Tonight I had to pay him back.”A reunion 22 years in the making. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/MkaF2xb6SE— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 2, 2025

    Berry told the outlet that she had seen Brody around Hollywood at various parties, but Sunday night was the first time in decades that they had seen each other on a red carpet.“He’s nominated this year,” she said. “He deserved that.”Their kiss onstage in 2003 made headlines and has become one of the most talked about Oscar moments in history.After kissing Berry that night, Brody quipped, “I bet they didn’t tell you that was in the gift bag.”Over the years, both actors have discussed the moment at length. On “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” in 2017, Berry said that the kiss was not planned and that she was as shocked as everyone else.Berry said that she went along with it “because I was there the year before, and I know the feeling of being out of your body.” Berry made history in 2002 for her role in “Monster’s Ball,” becoming the first Black woman to win an Oscar for best actress.Brody also revisited the kiss in a profile with Variety last month. “We live in a very conscious time, which is a wonderful thing,” he said. “And nothing that I ever do or have done or would’ve done is ever done with the intention of making anyone feel bad.” More

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    Oscars 2025 Winners: Updating List

    The winning actors, directors, pictures and more at the 97th annual Academy Awards.The race to the Oscars has been more of a marathon than a sprint, with a few surprises, controversies and plenty of analysis along the way. Our awards columnist Kyle Buchanan has made his predictions, but tonight we find out which movies will take home the gold.Conan O’Brien has hosting duties, and even though this is a movie awards show, Doja Cat, Raye and Queen Latifah are set to perform. (The “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande plan to take the stage, as well.)The ceremony is live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, being broadcast on ABC and streaming on Hulu.Follow along as we update the list of winners.Kieran Culkin won the award for best supporting actor.Philip Cheung for The New York TimesBest Supporting ActorKieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”Read our profile.Nominees in this category: Yura Borisov, “Anora”;Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”; Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”; Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice” More

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    Oscars 2025 Live Updates: Kieran Culkin Wins Best Supporting Actor for ‘A Real Pain’

    When the final envelope is opened Sunday evening, the movie awarded the Oscar for best picture may not be the film that the most voters chose as best picture.Let us explain.Uniquely among the categories, the night’s top prize is selected via ranked choice. (Other contests decided by ranked-choice methods such as an instant runoff include certain federal elections in Maine and New York City’s mayoral race.)For every other Oscar category, each voter selects one nominee, and the nominee that appears on the most ballots wins.But for best picture, voters rank up to all 10 nominees. The ultimate winner is not necessarily the one that initially appears in the No. 1 spot the most. In fact, it may well prove more important which movie is most often ranked second.The Oscars’ instant-runoff system, instituted for best picture in 2010, requires a movie to receive more than 50 percent of the No. 1 spots on ballots to win. If no movie qualifies, then the movie with the fewest No. 1 votes is eliminated; ballots with that movie in their No. 1 slot now have their No. 2 movie counted as their top choice. The eliminations continue until one movie has more than 50 percent.Imagine a ballot with “The Substance” ranked No. 1, “Anora” No. 2 and “The Brutalist” No. 3. If “The Substance” is eliminated before “Anora” and “The Brutalist,” as expected, then that ballot would effectively count as a vote for “Anora” — and would continue to, unless “Anora” is eliminated before “The Brutalist,” in which case the ballot would count for “The Brutalist.”This system means that, in some years, it could pay more to be the overwhelming favorite for the No. 2 slot than it is to achieve a small plurality of No. 1 slots. (The Academy does not make figures available after the fact.)Imagine a full contest. The top two movies to appear on voters’ No. 1 slots are “Movie A” and “Movie B” — films that have garnered passionate fans along with some steadfast detractors who ranked them near the bottom. “Movie A” and “Movie B” are the top pick on 29 percent and 27 percent of ballots — not nearly enough for either to declare victory instantly. The eliminations begin.After seven rounds, a three-way race has emerged among “Movie A” and “Movie B” and a third film, “Movie C,” which was fewer voters’ absolute favorite but was well-regarded by virtually everyone — meaning almost nobody ranked it near the bottom.While “Movie A” and “Movie B” started out with the most first-place votes, now “Movie A” has the most, followed by “Movie C.” “Movie B” is eliminated. On 75 percent of the ballots that had “Movie B” at the top, “Movie C” — the less polarizing, broadly liked movie — is ranked higher than “Movie A.” The fresh influx of votes for “Movie C” causes “Movie C,” the slow-and-steady contender, to defeat “Movie A,” even though both “Movie A” and, for that matter, “Movie B” began the process with the most first-place votes.The winner of the Oscar for best picture in this case is “Movie C.”It may not happen this way, of course. It could be that “Movie A” (perhaps a real movie with fervent fans and more than a few skeptics, like “Anora”) or “Movie B” (“The Brutalist,” say) could ride its polarizing status and plethora of No. 1 slots to victory. But if not, look for a movie in the manner of “Movie C” (maybe a widely palatable movie that begins with C, like “Conclave”) to emerge as a surprise victor.Which, come to think of it, is the plot of “Conclave.” More

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    Timothée Chalamet Wears Butter-Colored Givenchy Suit at Oscars

    Timothée Chalamet’s sartorial playfulness has been a consistent theme as he stepped out in memorable looks for each red carpet event over the last few months. For the Oscars, the most conservative red carpet of them all, he did not disappoint.Chalamet arrived in a monochromatic butter yellow custom Givenchy suit designed by Sarah Burton. A double-breasted cropped jacket with a notch lapel was paired with leather pants and a silk shirt.“Love that suit,” Conan O’Brien said to Chalamet during the show’s opening monologue. “You will not get hit on your bike tonight.”A best actor nominee for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in the biopic “A Complete Unknown,” Chalamet, 29, nonchalantly bobbed down the red carpet, hands behind his back, in his pastel outfit.Leading up to the release of his film in December, through the months that followed on the awards trail, Chalamet has waged a viral campaign that diverted from the old, staid ways of Hollywood promotion. That has included a slew of eye-catching outfits, including an all-pink ensemble consisting of a Chrome Hearts hoodie and tank top that he wore at the Berlin International Film Festival.And at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where he wore a black leather suit paired with a lime green shirt, he accepted his best actor award with a speech that reaffirmed that he was serious about his job: “I’m really in pursuit of greatness,” he said. “I know people don’t usually talk like that but I want to be one of the greats.”Whether he takes home best actor tonight or not, he takes the prize for men’s wear with his “movie-star trucker vibe,” as our men’s wear critic Guy Trebay wrote. More