Many aspects of this year’s Oscars seemed quite familiar to me. There were sketches that went too far and speeches that were cut short. But one change was made to this year’s show that stunned viewers. To shorten the running time of the awards show, no fewer than eight categories were cut from the live broadcast (via ). Technical categories such as Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound Design, Best Make-up and Hairstyling or Best Original Music are aspects that films cannot do without and which, alongside short film awards such as Best Live-Action Short Film, Best Animated Short Film and Best Documentary short film.
One of the biggest blockbusters of 2021, “Dune” won for Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and a few other categories (via Deadline). Editor Joe Walker reportedly delivered the “funniest” speech, according to critic Kyle Buchanan Twitter, but nobody would see it during the official broadcast. Riz Ahmed was another winner of the night for his short film The Long Goodbye, but he was quick to accept the award with very little fanfare on stage. “Riz Ahmed just won an Oscar and nobody outside the room could see it happen. This is a lousy way to learn about the Oscar-winning academy,” @kateyrich continued Twitter.
Buchanan also noted that The Eyes of Tammy Faye actress Jessica Chastain made sure to be there when her hair and makeup team was presented to a very small audience. After three years of socially distanced awards, these winners are barely recognized for their hard work. Categories that are as important as any other have been marginalized for more important acting categories.