This year’s Oscars may have been long and missing the element of surprise, but it delivered on music performances, Kimmel comedy, and stirring speeches. We’ve gathered the most memorable lines to sum up the highlights of the big event.
“How could the Academy not nominate the guy who directed Avatar? What do they think he is – a woman?” Jimmy Kimmel.
“My hope is that we shelter each other from the chaos of this crazy world we live in.” Daniel Kwan, co-winner for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
“We all need a hero sometimes, and they’re all around us, often in unassuming places. You might find that you can be your own hero, even if you feel broken inside.” Lady Gaga, just before performing “Hold My Hand”
“If you decide you want to get up here and get jiggy with it, you’ll have to face Creed, Michelle Yeoh, the man who will beat the Lydia Tar out of you…and the RRR performers who will dance you off the stage.” Kimmel
“I spent a year in a refugee camp. They say stories like this only happen in the movies, but this is the American dream…. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.” — Ke Huy Quan, Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
“I grew up listening to the Carpenters, and here I am at the Oscars. There was only one wish of mine. RRR has to win…on behalf of every Indian…and it must put me on the top of the world.” Co-winner of Oscar winning song Naatu Naatu, M.M. Keeravani.
“Hopefully this year the [Best Documentary category] goes off without a hitch. Or without Hitch. Put your hands together — then keep them to yourself.” Kimmel
“Genius doesn’t emerge from each of us up here. It emerges from the collective. We are all products of our contexts. We are all descendants of something and someone. My father who needed to escape the world and fell in love with movies passed that on to me.” Daniel Kwan
“Your story will be different from ours,” Oscar winning screenwriter Sarah Polley on her final line in Women Talking. “It’s a promise, a commitment and an anchor.”
“Ladies don’t let anyone ever tell you you are past your prime. Never give up.” Michelle Yeoh accepting her Best Actress Oscar.
“There is greatness in every single person. You have a genius that’s waiting to erupt, you just to have find the right people to help unlock that.” Daniel Kwan
“To all political prisoners around the world, we must not be afraid to protest dictators and authoritarian regimes. They tried to kill my husband for telling the truth, for defending democracy. I’m dreaming of the day you will be free, and the day our country will be free. Stay strong my love.” Yulia Navalny, wife of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar winning documentary Navalny.
“Movies can transform our lives. The movies we honor tonight have real power.” Harrison Ford
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