Netflix settles for two Oscars

Marriage Story lost out to Parasite in the Best Picture category

Streaming giant Netflix had more Oscar nominations than any other studio but had to settle for just two wins at the Academy Awards ceremony in LA last night.

Laura Dern’s turn in Marriage Story won the Best Supporting Actress award, the first cast prize for a Netflix movie.

The Best Feature Documentary prize also went the streamer’s way for American Factory, which looks at a plant in Ohio reopened by a Chinese billionaire. It was Netflix’s second win in the category following 2018 film Icarus, which focused on doping in cycling.

But they were the streamer’s only two victories from 24 nominations this year. The Irishman and Marriage Story both lost out in the Best Picture category to South Korean comedy thriller Parasite. It was the first time a non-English-language film had won the main prize.

Elsewhere, Renee Zellweger was named Best Actress for playing Judy Garland in Judy and Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor for Joker, the second time the prize has gone to somebody playing the classic Batman villain after Heath Ledger previously won the award posthumously.

Brad Pitt took home the first acting Oscar of his career with a Best Aupporting Actor prize for his role in Quentin Tarrantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film, along with First World War epic 1917, had been favourites in the Best Picture category but were beaten by Parasite.

1917 took three prizes, all of them in technical categories.