ARRI cameras have long been the choice of Oscar® winners and this year was no exception. At the 90th Academy Awards, six of the nine films nominated for best picture were captured with ARRI cameras and lenses while many of them were also illuminated by ARRI lighting equipment.
Since 2011, every Academy Award Best Picture winner has been shot on an ARRI camera. On March 4, 2018 at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, this tradition continued. Best Picture of 2017 went to "The Shape of Water." This fantasy drama, directed by Guillermo del Toro and lensed by cinematographer Dan Laustsen ASC, DFF on ALEXA with Master Prime lenses also racked up the awards for Best Director, Best Original Score, and Production Design, becoming the big winner of the evening. Del Toro has also taken home the most critics' prizes this year including the Golden Globe and the BAFTA award for his remarkable film.
Being a motion picture and broadcast equipment manufacturer, ARRI has a special soft spot for the category Best Achievement in Cinematography. Fourteen-time Oscar® nominee, Roger Deakins CBE, ASC, BSC, was finally recognized for his remarkable work on "Blade Runner 2049" with the Best Achievement in Cinematography award. Director Denis Villeneuve's science fiction sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 classic was crafted with the help of ALEXA XT Studio cameras, Master Prime lenses, ARRI lights, all provided by ARRI Rental. Earlier in 2018, Deakins was also awarded Best Cinematography at the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and British Academy (Bafta) Awards.
The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects also went to "Blade Runner 2049" and the team of John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert, and Richard R. Hoover.
ARRI was also behind-the-scenes in many other Oscar® winning productions. "Three Billhoards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" Best Actress in a Leading Role, Frances McDormand, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Sam Rockwell, were filmed with the ARRI ALEXA XT Plus. "Darkest Hour" captured and illuminated Gary Oldman's Best Actor in a Leading Role performance with the ALEXA SXT and ALEXA Mini cameras and LED SkyPanels. Best Actress in a Supporting Role winner Allison Janney was filmed with the ARRICAM in "I, Tonya." "Get Out," winner of Best Original Screenplay and "Call Me By Your Name," winner of Best Adapted Screenplay were also filmed with ARRI cameras.
A lesser-known category, but of no less importance, the Academy bestowed the film "The Silent Child" with the Live Action Short Film award. Directed by Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton, this film follows Libby, a deaf four-year-old in a family who are all hearing. Cinematographer Ali Farahani captured the short on ALEXA.
Every picture nominated in the category for best foreign language film was shot on an ARRI ALEXA XT. We thank our friends around the world for their trust in our equipment. Winner of the best foreign film of 2017 was the Chilean submission "A Fantastic Woman." Nominated at various awards shows and film festivals this year, the film premiered at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2017 where it won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay and the Teddy Award, an award given to films with a LGTB theme.
ARRI congratulates every winner and nominee of the 90th Annual Academy Awards. We thank you for relying on ARRI cameras, lenses, lighting, and services to help bring your artistic visions to life.
For a complete list of winners, along with their acceptance speeches, please see: http://oscar.go.com/winners
Opening image credit: Todd Wawrychuk / A.M.P.A.S.
