If you are a student that loves films, you probably watched the Academy Awards to see if your favorites won an award. On March 12th, the 95th Academy Awards was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The ceremony honors and celebrates achievements in films released in 2022. It was a momentous night for many as there were a lot of wins that made history. 

Ruth E. Carter, a costume designer, became the first Black woman to win two Academy Awards. Carter won the Best Costume Design award for Black Panther in 2019 and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2023. Carter had been previously nominated for costume design in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X and Stephen Speilberg’s Amistad. “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman,” Carter said during her acceptance speech.

Michelle Yeoh won the Best Actress award for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. She is the first Asian woman to win this award and the second woman of color to win since Halle Berry won for Monster’s Ball. Yeoh has been acting for nearly four decades and received her first Academy Award that night at sixty years old. “This is proof that dreams dream big, and dreams do come true,” said Yeoh during her acceptance speech. “And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up.”

Composer M.M Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose won the Best Original Song award for their song “Naatu Naatu.” The song is a part of the soundtrack to the Indian film RRR. It is the first song from an Indian film to win an Academy Award. In addition, Director Kartiki Gonsalves won the Best Documentary Short Film award for her film Elephant Whisperers. Gonsalves is the first Indian director to win the award and the first Indian to win in any directing category. No Indian film had won an Academy Award before that night. 

Other notable wins include Brendan Fraser for Best Actor and Ke Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor. Fraser won for his performance in The Whale and became the first Canadian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Quan won for his performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once and became the first Vietnamese actor to win an Oscar. “My journey started on a boat,” said Quan during his acceptance speech. “I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream.”