This year’s nominees for documentary feature all had some pretty phenomenal stories behind the scenes along with what went on the screen.
The Oscar went to “Icarus,” a real-life espionage story about Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, a scientist turned whistleblower who helped bring down the immense state-sponsored apparatus in place for the illicit doping of Russian Olympic athletes.
The win marked the first Oscar to go to a feature film from the streaming service Netflix. The company’s contentious relationship with conventional theatrical exhibition has been widely seen as a stumbling block when it comes to recognition from the tradition-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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WINNER: Gary Oldman -- performance by an actor in a leading role; makeup and hairstyling | NOMINATED: Cinematography; costume design; best picture; and production design.
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WINNER: Costume design | NOMINATED: Daniel Day-Lewis -- performance by an actor in a leading role; Lesley Manville -- performance by an actress in a supporting role; directing; original score; and best picture.
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Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” The film got four Oscar nominations: original score, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects.
(John Wilson / Lucasfilm via AP) OSCARS 2018 FULL COVERAGE »
Backstage after winning the award, director Bryan Fogel celebrated Rodchenkov for his bravery in speaking out.
“It’s not difficult to obtain truthful information when the person that you’re speaking to is telling the truth,” Fogel said. “And what we’ve seen is that all of his evidence that we brought forward has been corroborated [and] forensically proven. So it is irrelevant what Russia would like to say in regards to Dr. Rodchenkov or what Russia would like to say in regards to the truth.
“The truth is the truth is the truth,” he continued. “And then there’s fake news, and then there’s false news, and then there’s the truth. Dr. Rodchenkov told the truth.”
Though Netflix’s marketing muscle made “Icarus” a film never to be counted out, the win was something of an upset considering the media attention that had been garnered by “Faces Places” and its filmmakers, Agnès Varda and the French artist JR. The film follows the two of them as they travel the French countryside, engaging with strangers and creating large photo murals along the way.
At 89, Varda — with a filmmaking career that stretches back some 60 years — became the oldest Oscar nominee ever. She also became the first female director to be given an honorary Oscar when she received a statue at the Governors Awards in November. Varda and JR had become fixtures of awards season, with their playful dynamic lighting up many events. When Varda could not attend, such as at the academy’s nominees luncheon, JR would carry a life-size cardboard cutout of his diminutive filmmaking partner.
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Costume designer Mark Bridges (“Phantom Thread”), with Helen Mirren in tow, rides onstage with the jet ski he won for having the fastest winners’ speech during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Guillermo del Toro and the cast of “The Shape of Water” assemble onstage after the film wins the top prize at the 90th Academy Awards on Sunday.
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Guillermo del Toro celebrates the power of storytelling as he accepts the Oscar for directing “The Shape of Water.”.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Mark Hamill walk among the crowd during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Actors Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty prepare to announce the best picture winner at the 90th Academy Awards.
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Ashley Judd, from left, Annabella Sciorra and Salma Hayek present a Time’s Up segment during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren present the Oscar for lead actor.
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Jodie Foster, left, and Jennifer Lawrence present the award for lead actress, stepping in after Casey Affleck withdrew from the show.
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Nominees Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Sally Hawkins and Meryl Streep hug after the lead actress award, which went to Frances McDormand, was announced.
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Frances McDormand accepts the award for lead actress for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, then prepares to say a few things.
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Gary Oldman accepts his Oscar for lead actor in “Darkest Hour.”
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Keala Settle performs during the 90th Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood.
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Performers with Keala Settle wander into the audience during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Actress Nicole Kidman prepares to present the Oscar for original screenplay.
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Guillermo del Toro delivers a speech after he won the directing Oscar for “The Shape of Water.”
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French composer Alexandre Desplat accepts his Oscar for original score for “The Shape of Water.”
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Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are overcome after winning original song for “Remember Me” from the animated film “Coco” during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Roger Deakins wins the Oscar for cinematography for “Blade Runner 2049” at the 90th Academy Awards.
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Writer-director Jordan Peele holds his Oscar for original screenplay for “Get Out” during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda, left, and Emily Blunt present the award for best original song at the Oscars.
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Writer-director Jordan Peele is congratulated by “Get Out” star Daniel Kaluuya for winning the Oscar for original screenplay.
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Eddie Vedder performs during the “In Memoriam” tribute at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre.
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The crowd reacts as James Ivory wins the Oscar for adapted screenplay for “Call Me by Your Name” during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Common and Andra Day perform a song from “Marshall” during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Lee Smith wins the film editing Oscar for “Dunkirk,” with presenter Matthew McConaughey leading him offstage.
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Nicole Kidman steps onto the stage to present the award for original screenplay at the Oscars.
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Actors Chadwick Boseman and Margot Robbie speak onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Sufjan Stevens sings during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Actor Matthew McConaughey speaks during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Filmmakers Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton accept the Academy Award for live action short film for “The Silent Child.”
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Comedian Dave Chappelle speaks onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Tiffany Haddish, left, and Maya Rudolph present the award for best documentary short subject at the Oscars.
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Gina Rodriguez presents John Nelson with the award for visual effects for “Blade Runner 2049” at the Oscars.
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Filmmaker Frank Stiefel accepts the Acaemy Award for short subject documentary for “Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405.”
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Daniela Vega, star of foreign-language Oscar winner “A Fantastic Woman,” introduces a song performance during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Actor Matthew McConaughey introduces the film editing nominees onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
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“The Last Jedi’s” BB-8 accompanies actors Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill and Kelly Marie Tran onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in L.A.
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NBA champ Kobe Bryant, left, and Glen Keane accept the Academy Award for animated short film for “Dear Basketball.”
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Host Jimmy Kimmel interacts with his 9-year-old self in a skit during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Director Sebastián Lelio accepts the Oscar for foreign-language film “A Fantastic Woman” from Chile.
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Allison Janney accepts the supporting actress Academy Award for “I, Tonya” during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Mark Rizzo, left, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten win the Academy Award for sound mixing for “Dunkirk.”
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Rita Moreno presents the award for best foreign language film at the Oscars.
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Presenters Lupita Nyong’o and Kumail Nanjiani give a shout-out to “all the Dreamers out there” onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Jeffrey A. Melvin, from left, Paul Denham Austerberry and Shane Vieau accept the Academy Award for production design for “The Shape of Water.”
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Singers Miguel and Natalia Lafourcade perform “Remember Me” from the animated film “Coco” onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Natalia Lafourcade and Miguel perform on a colorful stage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Actors Eiza Gonzalez and Ansel Elgort walk onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
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Director Bryan Fogel, right, celebrates next to producer Dan Cogan, bottom, after they won the Oscar for documentary feature for “Icarus” during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Greta Gerwig, left, and Laura Dern walk onstage to present the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars.
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Taraji P. Henson speaks onstage, introducing a performance by Mary J. Blige, during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Mary. J Blige performs “Mighty River” from “Mudbound” at the Oscars.
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Sam Rockwell accepts the suppoorting actor Academy Award for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” at the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center.
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Actress Helen Mirren presents the jet ski that Oscar winners could take home if they have the shortest speech during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel motions towards the Oscar statue, speaking about its characteristics that make Oscar “the ideal man,” during the opening monologue during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel delivers his opening monologue at the 90th Academy Awards.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Someone dressed as the amphibious creature from “The Shape of Water” is guided through the crowd during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Director Greta Gerwig walks through the crowd in the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood before the Academy Awards show begins.
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Director Steven Spielberg takes a photo with his phone during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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“Mudbound” and “Black Panther” cinematographer Rachel Morrison greets others before the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards in the Dolby Theatre.
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Meryl Streep greets Jennifer Lawrence before the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards in the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
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Christopher Plummer looks for his seat before the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail” marked the first nomination in the documentary category for the veteran filmmaker Steve James. The film tells the story of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York, a small family-run financial firm that became the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges after the 2008 financial crisis. The film brought a small, personal perspective to a complicated topic that can often feel overwhelming.
Among James’ previous work are “Hoop Dreams,” “The Interrupters” and “Life Itself,” all celebrated, well-regarded films that for whatever reason never found favor with the academy.
Directed by Feras Fayyad, “Last Men In Aleppo” looks at the Syrian civil war through the lens of the White Helmets, the volunteer civilian organization whose members are at the front lines of the conflict as first responders to military strikes and attacks.
One of the film’s nominated producers, Kareem Abeed, had been denied a visa to travel to the U.S. for the Oscars ceremony. After intervention by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the International Documentary Assn., he was finally issued a visa at the end of February.
Filmmaker Yance Ford made history on Oscar nominations morning by being the first openly transgender person to be recognized by the academy. His film “Strong Island” tells the story of the murder of his brother William in 1992. The film looks at the personal impact of such an event on a single family as well as the larger structural and institutional issues of race and justice.
Mark.Olsen@latimes.com
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