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ABC News
ABC News
Entertainment
music and pop culture reporter Mawunyo Gbogbo

CODA has won best picture at the Academy awards but it was Will Smith who 'stole the show'

Audience sign applause for deaf actor Troy Kotsur after winning Best Supporting Actor

CODA has pulled off a fairytale best picture win, capping an historic night at the Academy Awards.

The film, a story about a deaf family with just one hearing member, won in all three categories it was nominated in.

Troy Kotsur won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in CODA.

Kotsur is the first deaf man to win an Oscar, and joins his co-star Marlee Matlin as one of only two deaf actors to win an Academy Award.

CODA co-stars Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin have both won Oscars; Matlin in 1987. (Supplied: Apple TV+)

Matlin was the first deaf actor to win an Oscar back in 1987 after winning Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God.

Kotsur accepted the award by signing his acceptance speech, with the audience signing their applause.

"This is amazing to be here on this journey.

He said he was planning to teach the US President Joe Biden some dirty sign language on a visit to the White House, but Matlin told him to behave himself.

"Don't worry Marlee, I won't drop any f-bombs in my speech today."

He honoured the director of CODA, Sian Heder.

"You brought the deaf world and the hearing world together and you are our bridge."

It was the first Oscar nomination for Kotsur.

Kotsur beat Australian Kodi Smit-McPhee who was nominated for The Power of the Dog in that category.

It wasn't a great night for the Aussies with Nicole Kidman beaten by Jessica Chastain in the Actress in a Leading Role category.

Chastain won for The Eyes of Tammy Faye ahead of Kidman who was nominated for Being the Ricardos. 

CODA also won Best Adapted Screenplay, beating Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog.

The movie Dune swept a number of categories, with Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser taking out the Cinematography Oscar for Dune.

It also won Best Sound, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design and Visual Effects.

It was Will Smith, however, who was the talk of the town.

Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena, in the movie King Richard.

In a teary acceptance speech, he apologised to the Academy, after earlier hitting comedian Chris Rock over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. 

The moment Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the Oscars (AMPAS © 2022)

The 94th Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

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