'Oppenheimer' had quite a historic night at the star-studded 96th Academy Awards ceremony as Christopher Nolan's film secured victory in seven of the 13 categories nominated. While Cillian Murphy won his maiden Oscar for Best Actor, it was magical to watch Robert Downey Jr. bag his first-ever Academy honour. The highlight of the event, however, was an episode that occurred when Al Pacino handed out the Best Picture trophy to Christopher Nolan.
Pacino, who was chosen to present, sparked an unintentional debate when he directly declared Nolan's film as the winner, ignoring the Academy’s tradition of reading out the nominations before announcing the winner. Following the criticism over the incident, the Hollywood icon has now clarified that it was a deliberate choice made by the producers to not read the nominations list and directly announce the winner.
In a statement obtained by ABC News, the 'Godfather' actor stated, “There seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name last night before announcing the best picture award. I just want to be clear: it was not my intention to omit them, but rather a choice by the producers not to have them said again since they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony. I was honoured to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented.”
He added, "I realise being nominated is a huge milestone in one’s life, and to not be fully recognised is offensive and hurtful. I say this as someone who profoundly relates to filmmakers, actors, and producers, so I deeply empathise with those who have been slighted by this oversight, and that’s why I felt it was necessary to make this statement,” Al Pacino added.
After eight nominations across two decades, Christopher Nolan took home the first Academy Award of his career for directing 'Oppenheimer.' “To the Academy—movies are just a little bit over 100 years old,” he said during his first acceptance speech of the night, adding, “We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”'
At the Oscars 2024, Nolan competed against Justine Triet ('Anatomy of a Fall'), Martin Scorsese ('Killers of the Flower Moon'), Yorgos Lanthimos ('Poor Things'), and Jonathan Glazer ('The Zone of Interest') for the Best Director title.
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