The 89th Academy Awards: Chazelle Wins Best Director for La La Land

The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre, was notable for its dramatic events, particularly the mix-up in announcing the Best Picture winner. Initially, presenters declared La La Land as the winner, but the award ultimately went to Moonlight. Despite this confusion, Damien Chazelle secured the Best Director award for his work on La La Land, which was recognized for its artistic direction and musical composition. The film was a strong contender, facing competition from other notable films such as Arrival, Fences, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, Lion, and Manchester by the Sea. Chazelle's win marked a significant achievement in his career, as he became the youngest director to win this award, highlighting the impact of La La Land on contemporary cinema and its reception by both audiences and critics alike. • Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. • Best Picture & Director: The ceremony became infamous for a Best Picture announcement mistake: presenters initially read La La Land but the award actually went to Moonlight. Damien Chazelle still won Best Director for La La Land. Other nominees were Arrival, Fences, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, Lion and Manchester by the Sea. • Acting awards: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) and Emma Stone (La La Land) won lead acting awards, while Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) and Viola Davis (Fences) won supporting categories. • Other highlights: Disney’s Zootopia won Animated Feature; Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman won Foreign Language Film (Farhadi boycotted the ceremony in protest of U.S. travel bans). This year also saw strong results for La La Land in technical categories.