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Everything you need to know about the 95th Academy Awards

A guide to this year’s Oscars.

5 winners and 4 losers from the 2023 Oscars5 winners and 4 losers from the 2023 Oscars
Everything you need to know about the 95th Academy Awards

Winner: Donkeys. Loser: Anyone craving drama.

By Alex Abad-Santos, Aja Romano and 2 more
This is the most populist Oscars in a long timeThis is the most populist Oscars in a long time
Everything you need to know about the 95th Academy Awards

So why doesn’t it feel like it?

By Alissa Wilkinson
Why Everything Everywhere All at Once won ... everythingWhy Everything Everywhere All at Once won ... everything
Everything you need to know about the 95th Academy Awards

It’s the end of predictable Oscar winners.

By Alissa Wilkinson
5 winners and 4 losers from the 2023 Oscars
Everything you need to know about the 95th Academy Awards

Winner: Donkeys. Loser: Anyone craving drama.

By Alex Abad-Santos, Aja Romano and 2 more
This is the most populist Oscars in a long time
Everything you need to know about the 95th Academy Awards

So why doesn’t it feel like it?

By Alissa Wilkinson
Why Everything Everywhere All at Once won ... everything
Everything you need to know about the 95th Academy Awards

It’s the end of predictable Oscar winners.

By Alissa Wilkinson

The 95th Academy Awards will kick off on March 12, 2023 at 8pm ET/5pm PT, and Hollywood’s most glittering stars and awards hopefuls will take their walk down the red carpet to find out who’s taking home the night’s biggest prize.

But the Oscars aren’t just about Hollywood — the films that the awards show celebrates tell us a lot about what’s occupying our attention as a culture, whether it’s questions about justice in an unjust world, the close ties between the American military and big-budget spectacle, or the evolving way we watch and think about movies together. So — from reviews of the best movies of 2022 to explorations of what the Oscars are really about — here’s our guide to understanding this year’s awards, the films that are nominated, the conversations surrounding them, and why it all matters.

The winners

Why we loved Everything Everywhere All at Once — and why we hope it wins the Oscar
The long, long, twisty affair between the US military and Hollywood
Marvel has a whole lot riding on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
What the film Women Talking loses (and preserves) from the 2018 novel
Avatar: The Way of Water reminds us that blockbusters don’t have to look absolutely terrible
Inside Darren Aronofsky’s messy movie The Whale is something wise about religious trauma
The Whale screenwriter on writing about religious fundamentalism, bodies, and hope
How Avatar: The Way of Water can make $2 billion and still feel irrelevant
Wakanda Forever’s touching credits scene, explained
Why we loved Everything Everywhere All at Once — and why we hope it wins the OscarWhy we loved Everything Everywhere All at Once — and why we hope it wins the Oscar
The long, long, twisty affair between the US military and HollywoodThe long, long, twisty affair between the US military and Hollywood
Marvel has a whole lot riding on Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverMarvel has a whole lot riding on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
What the film Women Talking loses (and preserves) from the 2018 novelWhat the film Women Talking loses (and preserves) from the 2018 novel
Avatar: The Way of Water reminds us that blockbusters don’t have to look absolutely terribleAvatar: The Way of Water reminds us that blockbusters don’t have to look absolutely terrible
Inside Darren Aronofsky’s messy movie The Whale is something wise about religious traumaInside Darren Aronofsky’s messy movie The Whale is something wise about religious trauma
The Whale screenwriter on writing about religious fundamentalism, bodies, and hopeThe Whale screenwriter on writing about religious fundamentalism, bodies, and hope
How Avatar: The Way of Water can make $2 billion and still feel irrelevantHow Avatar: The Way of Water can make $2 billion and still feel irrelevant
Wakanda Forever’s touching credits scene, explainedWakanda Forever’s touching credits scene, explained

The nominees

The Oscars, explained

This is the most populist Oscars in a long time
The surprising lesson from a century of Oscar scandals
The 25 best movies of 2022
What Andrea Riseborough’s controversial nomination reveals about the Oscars
What’s the future of Black horror?
Do the Oscars’ new rules mean no more movies about white people?
The Oscars can’t quite decide if they’re about America or the whole world
This is the most populist Oscars in a long timeThis is the most populist Oscars in a long time
The surprising lesson from a century of Oscar scandalsThe surprising lesson from a century of Oscar scandals
The 25 best movies of 2022The 25 best movies of 2022
What Andrea Riseborough’s controversial nomination reveals about the OscarsWhat Andrea Riseborough’s controversial nomination reveals about the Oscars
What’s the future of Black horror?What’s the future of Black horror?
Do the Oscars’ new rules mean no more movies about white people?Do the Oscars’ new rules mean no more movies about white people?
The Oscars can’t quite decide if they’re about America or the whole worldThe Oscars can’t quite decide if they’re about America or the whole world

2022 in movies

This summer’s movies are all about love
Every movie right now, from Amsterdam to Glass Onion, stars a million A-listers
The buzziest fall movies have something in common
Here are 29 new movies to get excited about
15 unmissable movies from this year’s Cannes
From a volcano love story to an all-girl metal band, 15 documentaries you can’t miss
In 2022, nothing horrified us as much as old age
This summer’s movies are all about loveThis summer’s movies are all about love
Every movie right now, from Amsterdam to Glass Onion, stars a million A-listersEvery movie right now, from Amsterdam to Glass Onion, stars a million A-listers
The buzziest fall movies have something in commonThe buzziest fall movies have something in common
Here are 29 new movies to get excited aboutHere are 29 new movies to get excited about
15 unmissable movies from this year’s Cannes15 unmissable movies from this year’s Cannes
From a volcano love story to an all-girl metal band, 15 documentaries you can’t missFrom a volcano love story to an all-girl metal band, 15 documentaries you can’t miss
In 2022, nothing horrified us as much as old ageIn 2022, nothing horrified us as much as old age

Learn more

One year later, Chris Rock addresses the Will Smith Oscars slap
Everything Everywhere All at Once, explained by a quantum physicist
Pixar’s Turning Red is an unlikely culture war battleground
Hollywood’s hot new trend: Parents who say they’re sorry
How do you make a movie about a monster?
Fire of Love, about married volcanologists, is this summer’s must-see doc
Of course Glass Onion is a blast. But it cuts deeper than Knives Out, too.
Babylon’s debauched old Hollywood is about something much bigger
3 things to remember about Avatar before you see Avatar: The Way of Water
Why Everything Everywhere All at Once won ... everything
5 winners and 4 losers from the 2023 Oscars
One year later, Chris Rock addresses the Will Smith Oscars slapOne year later, Chris Rock addresses the Will Smith Oscars slap
Everything Everywhere All at Once, explained by a quantum physicistEverything Everywhere All at Once, explained by a quantum physicist
Pixar’s Turning Red is an unlikely culture war battlegroundPixar’s Turning Red is an unlikely culture war battleground
Hollywood’s hot new trend: Parents who say they’re sorryHollywood’s hot new trend: Parents who say they’re sorry
How do you make a movie about a monster?How do you make a movie about a monster?
Fire of Love, about married volcanologists, is this summer’s must-see docFire of Love, about married volcanologists, is this summer’s must-see doc
Of course Glass Onion is a blast. But it cuts deeper than Knives Out, too.Of course Glass Onion is a blast. But it cuts deeper than Knives Out, too.
Babylon’s debauched old Hollywood is about something much biggerBabylon’s debauched old Hollywood is about something much bigger
3 things to remember about Avatar before you see Avatar: The Way of Water3 things to remember about Avatar before you see Avatar: The Way of Water
Why Everything Everywhere All at Once won ... everythingWhy Everything Everywhere All at Once won ... everything
5 winners and 4 losers from the 2023 Oscars5 winners and 4 losers from the 2023 Oscars