The 2022 Academy Awards Winners From Dune to West Side Story

For all of us whose favorite season is Awards, the 94th Academy Awards are here to remind us of all the hard work to come from filmmakers this year. Every ceremony is bound to have a few surprises and even more snubs, but the collection of films presented this year tells a diverse set of stories that we’re pleased to see celebrated to such a wide audience. Let’s take a look at the 2022 Academy Award winners and dig into how this ceremony wowed us, from the good to the bad.

The 2022 Academy Award Winners In The Night’s Most Competitive Categories

There were a plethora of beautiful films nominated this year. The Power of the Dog leads the pack with 12 nominations. Dune, one of the most visually impressive films of the past year, followed close behind with ten nominations. A nomination is a huge feat, but here are the official 2022 Academy Award winners in some of the most competitive categories.

Image via Netflix.

Best Picture

Belfast

CODA – WINNER

Don’t Look Up

Drive My Car

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

West Side Story

Best Directing

Kenneth Branagh, Belfast

Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car

Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza

Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog – WINNER

Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Siân Heder, CODA – WINNER

Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe, Drive My Car

Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth, Dune

Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter

Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Kenneth Branagh, Belfast – WINNER

Adam McKay (screenplay and story by), David Sirota (story by), Don’t Look Up

Zach Baylin, King Richard

Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza

Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier, The Worst Person in the World

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye – WINNER

Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter

Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers

Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos

Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Ariana DeBose, West Side Story – WINNER

Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter

Judi Dench, Belfast

Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog

Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos

Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield, tick, tick… BOOM!

Will Smith, King Richard – WINNER

Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Ciaran Hinds, Belfast

Troy Kotsur, CODA – WINNER

Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog

J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos

Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Who Else Joined The List Of The 2022 Academy Award Winners?

Dune followed through with its nominations, taking home a handful of trophies as well. The Denis Villeneuve-directed film won 6 awards, including Best Sound, Visual Effects, Production Design, Original Score, Film Editing, and Cinematography. The studio waited to find out how successful it would be before greenlighting the sequel, and their decision has certainly paid off.

Another exciting win from the night is Drive My Car taking the award for International Feature Film. James Bond took something home, too, with the Original Song win for No Time To Die, giving the win to Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.

You can see the full list of winners here.

image via Warner Bros Pictures

How Did The Comic Book Movies Do At The 2022 Academy Awards?

Comic book adaptations, mostly superhero flicks, earned a handful of nominations at the 2022 Academy Awards. This included technical nominations for films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. However, with Dune’s massive success in the technical categories, the comic book movies are left for the fans and the box office.

Aside from the wins (and losses), a few other heroes popped up during the ceremony. Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, among others, got screen time during a montage of most cheer-worthy movie moments. Though, the moment did feel out of place, especially considering how some of those films were not even eligible for the year’s awards. Another moment of superhero screentime was awkwardly placed in the ceremony, as Amy Schumer dedicated herself to a bit that included waring the Spider-Man suit and spraying silly string onto the stage.

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing.

Can The Oscars Succeed At Boosting Their Ratings?

Ratings for the Oscars have been declining in recent years. The Academy is desperate to stop the downward trend, and they continue to try new methods to boost the numbers. Unfortunately, many of the attempts from this year felt misguided and shoehorned into the ceremony. One example is when a pre-recorded segment of BTS, the famous South Korean boy band, discussed their love for animated films. It was far too quick to leave any sort of impact, and the band had no connection to any of the nominated films. Other moments include fan-favorite countdowns and a distracting and divisive change to the presentation of We Don’t Talk About Bruno.

Perhaps the most notable grasp at higher ratings is the inclusion of the Fan Favorite Award, which was given to Army of the Dead. The award didn’t take up much screentime, leaving us wondering if there was a point to it at all beyond giving a few moments of joy to its hardcore fans. Sure, it’s a great movie, but it’s not a real Oscar. So, why bother?

We’re not opposed to watching the ceremony try something new, as long as it is faithful to the integrity of the art of filmmaking. However, many of these tries only hurt the broadcast, disappointing fans who show up to learn about movies – not Tik Tok trends. Another controversial decision was to present certain categories before the ceremony started its broadcast. This was intended to help cut back on the length of the show, but they ended up finding their way to the telecast anyway, making us wonder why they bothered to switch things up at all.

Image via Netflix.

The 2022 Academy Awards Aired On March 27th.

Readers, what are your thoughts on the 2022 Academy Award winners? And while you’re telling us if your favorite took home the trophy, let us know what you thought about the ceremony as a whole. Were there too many gimmicks, or was it the right amount of fun for you? Whatever your thoughts are, we want to hear them.

Featured image via Warner Bros. Pictures.

Meghan Hale is the kind of movie lover that has a "must watch" that is a mile long... and growing. When she isn't talking about the latest film and television news she is writing one of her many in-process novels, screaming film trivia at anybody who will listen, and working as a mental health care professional. Follow her on Twitter @meghanrhale for some fun theories and live reactions to all things entertainment.