(UTV | UNITED STATES) – On Sunday night, Dune harnessed the Oscar power. The Legendary and Warner Bros. sci-fi adaption won six Oscars, for cinematography, editing, soundtrack, visual effects, production design, and sound.
However, with its heady combination of politics and religion wrapped around a hero’s adventure in the desert, Dune was the big-screen event of the season, ushering in the reopening of cinemas after the pandemic.
It only fell short in costume design, makeup, and hairstyling, where it was overshadowed by three-time Oscar winner Jenny Beaven’s ’70s punk look for Emma Stone in Disney’s Cruella and Best Actress winner Jessica Chastain’s transformation into the infamous televangelist in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Production VFX supervisor Paul Lambert, who previously won Oscars for First Man and Blade Runner 2049, special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer, who also won an Oscar for Blade Runner 2049, and first-time Academy Award winners Tristan Myles, VFX supervisor at lead VFX house DNEG’s Vancouver studio, and Brian Connor, VFS supervisor at DNEG Montreal, were among the winning team for Dune.
Meanwhile, this year’s Oscars presented eight categories an hour before the actual programme, in a contentious move. The speeches were ultimately edited into the show.
During that preshow hour, Dune brought home numerous awards, with director Denis Villeneuve and actors Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya sitting in the crowd to see their film win the first of these Oscars.
Interestingly, Dune had ten nominations going into the night, losing only to Best Picture, Makeup and Hairstyling, Costume Design, and Adapted Screenplay. The film did not get any acting nominations despite having an A-list cast that included Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and others.