The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017 and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.[3] The ceremony was held on March 4, 2018 rather than its usual late-February date to avoid conflicting with the 2018 Winter Olympics.[4]
During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony was televised in the United States by American Broadcasting Company (ABC), produced by Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd and directed by Glenn Weiss.[5] Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted for the second consecutive year, making him the first person to host back-to-back ceremonies since Billy Crystal in 1997 and 1998.[6]
In related events, the Academy held its 9th Annual Governors Awards ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of the Hollywood and Highland Center on November 11, 2017.[7] On February 10, 2018, in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the Academy Scientific and Technical Awards were presented by host actor Sir Patrick Stewart.[8]
The Shape of Water won a leading four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. Dunkirk won three awards; Blade Runner 2049, Coco, Darkest Hour, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won two awards each. I, Tonya, Get Out, Call Me by Your Name, A Fantastic Woman, Icarus, Phantom Thread, Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405, The Silent Child, and Dear Basketball received one award each.
James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967)[3] is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC in 2003. Kimmel hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2012 and 2016, as well as the Academy Awards in February 2017.
Before hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money. Kimmel has also produced such shows as Crank Yankers, Sports Show with Norm Macdonald, and The Andy Milonakis Show.
The Shape of Water is a 2017 American fantasy drama film[3][4] directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor.[3][4] The film stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer. Set in Baltimore in 1962, the plot follows a mute custodian at a high-security government laboratory who befriends a captured humanoid-amphibian creature. Many critics declared The Shape of Water del Toro's best film since Pan's Labyrinth,[5] praising in particular Hawkins's performance.[6]
The film was screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered on August 31, 2017,[7] and was awarded the Golden Lion for best film in the competition.[8] It also screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[9]
The Shape of Water began a limited release in two theaters in New York City on December 1, 2017, before expanding on December 8, 2017, and has grossed $39 million.[10] A novelized adaptation of the film, written by del Toro and Daniel Kraus, will be released on February 27, 2018.[11]
The American Film Institute selected it as one of the top 10 films of the year.[12] At the 90th Academy Awards, the film received a leading 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress for Hawkins, Best Supporting Actor for Jenkins and Best Supporting Actress for Spencer. It also won for Best Director and Best Original Score at the 75th Golden Globe Awards, on top of five other nominations.[13] At the 71st British Academy Film Awards, the film received 12 nominations, including Best Film.[14]