Against all odds, love won out at the 90th Academy Awards.

Guillermo del Toro's lavish, full-hearted monster romance "The Shape of Water" swam away with best picture at an Oscar ceremony flooded by a sense of a change for a movie business confronting the post-Harvey Weinstein era. The ceremony, held Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, exorcised some demons — like last year's envelope fiasco — and wrestled with other, deeper problems in Hollywood, like gender equality and diversity.

"The Shape of Water," which came in with 13 nods, took a leading four awards, including best production design, best score and best director for del Toro. The Cold War-set movie, about a mute woman and a captive fish-man, is del Toro's Technicolor ode to outsiders of all kinds — and species.

"The greatest thing that art does, and that our industry does, is erase the lines in the sand," said del Toro, accepting the best director award.

Del Toro became the third Mexican-born filmmaker to win the award, joining his friends and countrymen Alejandro Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron — who once were dubbed "the Three Amigos." He dedicated the best picture award to young filmmakers — "the youth who are showing us how things are done."

The night's final award was handed out again by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, a year after the infamous "Moonlight"-"La La Land" error. "It's so nice seeing you again," said Beatty with a grin.

The ceremony was the crescendo of one of Hollywood's most turbulent awards seasons ever — one that saw cascading allegations of sexual harassment topple movie moguls, upended Oscar campaigns and new movements sparked like Time's Up.

Much of Sunday's broadcast, hosted for the second straight year by Jimmy Kimmel, seemed to point a way forward for the industry. "It's a new day in Hollywood," said presenter Jennifer Lawrence, who with Jodie Foster, subbed for last year's best-actor winner, Casey Affleck, in presenting the best-actress award.

The award went to Frances McDormand for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," a movie about a furious woman out for justice. McDormand asked all the attending female nominees stand up in the theater. There weren't nearly as many as men, despite the historic nominations for Greta Gerwig (the fifth woman nominated for best director) and Rachel Morrison ("Mudbound"), the first woman nominated for best cinematography.

"Look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects that need financing," declared McDormand. "I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: Inclusion Rider" — referring to actors signing contracts that mandate a film's gender and racial inclusivity.

Jordan Peele won for his script to his horror sensation "Get Out," becoming the first African-American to win for best original screenplay. Peele said he stopped writing it "20 times," skeptical that it would ever get made.

"But I kept coming back to it because I knew if someone would let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it," said Peele. "So I want to dedicate this to all the people who raised my voice and let me make this movie."

Things went expected in the acting categories, where three widely admired veteran actors won their first Oscars. Gary Oldman won for his Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour," Allison Janney ("I, Tonya") took best supporting actress, and Sam Rockwell ("Three Billboards") won best supporting actor. Oldman thanked his nearly 99-year-old mother. "Put the kettle on," he told her. "I'm bringing Oscar home."

But many of the show's most powerful moments came in between the awards. Ashley Judd, Anabella Sciorra and Salma Hayek — who all made allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein — together assembled for a mid-show segment dedicated to the #MeToo movement that has followed the downfall of Weinstein, long an Oscar heavyweight. They were met by a standing ovation.

"We work together to make sure the next 90 years empower these limitless possibilities of equality, diversity, inclusion and intersectionality," said Judd. "That's what this year has promised us."

Kimmel opened with a monologue that mixed Weinstein punchlines with earnest comments about reforming gender equality in Hollywood. And of course, Kimmel — returning to the scene of the flub — dove straight into material about last year's infamous best-picture mix-up.

"I do want to mention, this year, when you hear your name called, don't get up right away," said Kimmel. "Give us a minute."

But while Kimmel spent a few moments on the fiasco known as Envelopegate, he expended far more minutes frankly and soberly discussing the parade of sexual harassment allegations in the wake of the revelations regarding Weinstein. Kimmel cited the industry's poor record for female directors and equal pay.

"We can't let bad behavior slide anymore," said Kimmel. "The world is watching us."

Gesturing to a giant statue on the stage, he praised Oscar, himself for keeping "his hands where you can see them" and for having "no penis at all." But Kimmel introduced the broadcast as "a night for positivity," and cited, among other things, the box-office success of "Black Panther" and "Wonder Woman."

"I remember a time when the major studios didn't believe a woman or a minority could open a superhero movie — and the reason I remember that time is because it was March of last year," said Kimmel.

In a year lacking a clear front-runner the awards were spread around. Christopher Nolan's World War II epic "Dunkirk" landed three awards, all for its technical craft: editing, sound editing and sound design.

Several cinema legends won their first Oscar. James Ivory, 89, won best adapted screenplay for his script to the coming-of-age drama "Call Me By Your Name," becoming the oldest winner ever. After 14 nominations, revered cinematographer Roger Deakins finally won for his photography on "Blade Runner 2049."

Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani joined Kenyan-born Lupita Nyong'o to salute the so-called Dreamers — immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children and here without permanent protection from deportation. "Dreams are the foundation of Hollywood and dreams are the foundation of America. And, so, to all the Dreamers out there, we stand with you," Nanjiani said.

Later, Pixar's colorful ode to Mexican culture "Coco" won best animated film as well as best song for "Remember Me." Best foreign language film went to Chile's "A Fantastic Woman," Sebastian Lelio's drama starring transgender actress Daniela Vega.

"The biggest thank you of all to the people of Mexico," said director Lee Unkrich to loud applause. "Marginalized people deserve to feel like they belong. Representation matters."

Netflix scored its first feature-film Oscar, with best documentary going to "Icarus," Bryan Fogel's investigation into doping in sports, aided by the assistance of Grigory Rodchenkov, the head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory who candidly discussed the doping scheme under Vladimir Putin. Fogel dedicated the award to Rodchenkov, "our fearless whistleblower who now lives in grave danger."

"Darkest Hour" won for best makeup. The period romance "Phantom Thread" won for costume design.

No Golden Globes-style fashion protest was held by organizers of Time's Up, the initiative begun by several hundred prominent women in entertainment to combat sexual harassment. Their goals go beyond red carpets, organizers said in the lead-up to the Oscars. "We did the dress code thing and now we're doing the work," said #MeToo founder Tarana Burke on the red carpet.

The parade of sexual harassment allegations made the normal superficial red carpet a place of sometimes more serious discussion than attire. Scrutiny fell Sunday on E! host Ryan Seacrest after his former stylist, Suzie Hardy, alleged sexual harassment against the red-carpet regular. Seacrest has denied it and E! has supported him. Best supporting actress Oscar nominee Mary J. Blige said Seacrest is "fighting for his life right now."

Twenty years ago, a "Titanic" sweep won record ratings for the Oscar broadcast. But ratings have recently been declining. Last year's show drew 32.9 million viewers for ABC, a 4 percent drop from the prior year. Movie attendance also hit a 24-year low in 2017.

But this year is already off to a strong start, thanks largely to Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther," which many analysts believe will play a prominent role at next year's Oscars. In three weeks, it has already grossed $500 million domestically — a kind of tally that dwarfs most of this year's Oscar nominees. The film's star, Chadwick Boseman, was placed front-and-center, at the Dolby Theatre.

With just a few minutes before the show started, Kimmel and his team emerged from his dressing room chanting, "Let's get it right this time!"</s>The Shape of Water triumphed in the closest Best Picture race in years to take the top prize at the 90th Academy Awards.

Guillermo Del Toro’s gorgeously envisioned and assembled film about a mute woman whose job ends up putting her in contact with a sea creature kept in captivity by shade government officials, only to befriend and ultimately fall in love with said creature, put Academy voters under its genre-blending, Old Hollywood-evoking spell.

Del Toro quoted Steven Spielberg from the podium, saying that the Oscar-winning director told him, “If you find yourself at the podium, remember that you are part of a legacy […] a world of filmmakers, and be proud of it.”

Del Toro dedicated the Best Picture win to young filmmakers around the world, saying, “Everyone that is dreaming of a parable, of using genre and fantasy to tell the stories about the things that are real in the world today, you can do it. This is a door — kick it open and come in.”

Going into Sunday night’s Academy Awards, while the acting races were all but sewn up, Best Picture was perhaps as wide open as it’s ever been. The Shape of Water entered with the most nominations (13), while Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri had triumphed at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and BAFTA, but director Martin McDonagh was surprisingly left off of Oscar’s Best Director ballot, opening the door for any number of possibilities.

In a reprise — or perhaps more accurately an exorcism — of last year’s Best Picture wrong-envelope-opening disaster, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway emerged to once again present the Best Picture award. “It’s so nice seeing you again,” Beatty said to a crowd of nervous and wary A-listers. This time, nothing was left to chance.

With this win, The Shape of Water becomes the first film since Braveheart in 1995 to win Best Picture without so much as a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild in their Best Ensemble category. Despite some early defeats in the craft categories, Shape picked up awards for Production Design and Original Score before Del Toro took the Best Director trophy that pretty much everyone was predicting he would.</s>We’re handicapping the odds on the nine Best Picture contenders for the March 4 Academy Awards. Today: The Shape of Water.

Guillermo del Toro made his finned infatuation fantasy as much for himself as for his audience, since he’s long adored movie monsters.

But The Shape of Water certainly has its hooks into Academy voters, who have given a leading 13 Oscar nominations to del Toro’s captivating tale of a mute cleaning woman who falls in love with a humanoid water creature.

It’s by far the obvious choice for a Best Picture win, a feeling bolstered by the many lead-up prizes the film has earned. But will it be the actual choice at Sunday’s awards ceremony, given that the preferential ballot for this category — and the vote-sharing it entails — often leads to surprise results?

I’m betting The Shape of Water will indeed take Best Picture, despite the fact there’s an omission the size of Moby Dick in its pre-Oscars school of awards fish: no nomination for Best Ensemble from the Screen Actors Guild. Only once before has a SAG ensemble non-nominee gone on to win Oscar’s Best Picture, and that was Braveheart in 1995.</s>The biggest night of Hollywood, Oscars 2018, came to an end with The Shape of Water awarded the Academy Award for Best Picture this year. The movie's director Guillermo del Toro took home the Best Director award.

Best actor was awarded to Darkest Hour's Gary Oldman and Frances McDormand from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, earned the Best Actress Award this year.

Celebrities are gathered at The Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles to witness the 90th Academy Awards. After the memorable end to the Oscars 2017, Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the Oscars this year again. Here's the complete winners' list:

Call Me By Your Name

Frances McDormand's victory is another no-shocker as her outstanding performance was applauded by film critics and it was predicted that she will take home the Oscar.

Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Oldman's victory comes as no surprise as every Oscar prediction predicted that he will win the Best Actor.

Best dressed celebrities from the 90th Academy Awards red carpet

Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World

Bollywood stars Sridevi and Shashi Kapoor, who passed away recently, were given a tribute at the 90th Academy Award.

Tonight, winners from 24 categories including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director will be announced. Stay tuned below for a full list of winners, updated live as they're announced.

Check out the most romatic moments from the Oscars 2018 here.

"Mystery of Love," Call Me By Your Name

"Stand Up For Something," Marshall

"This Is Me," The Greatest Showman

Despite not winning, Rachel Morrison has made history as she became the first woman to bag Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography with her brilliant camera work in Mudbound. Read more about her here.

The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor

Jordan Peele had a WTF moment following the award.

Priyanka Chopra gave a miss to Oscars this year. Find out why here.

Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory - WINNER

Heaven Is A Traffic Jam on the 405 - WINNER

While host Jimmy Kimmel is tickling the funny bone, his Donald Trump joke did not impress political commentator Matt Drudge.

War for the Planet of the Apes

Blanca Blanco risked wardrobe malfunction with her red carpet look</s>The most prized gong at tonight’s Academy Awards has to be the Best Picture Oscar.

While the bookies claim it’s a two horse race between Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri at 9/13 and The Shape of Water on 13/8, could there be an upset?

Indy horror Get Out is behind at 5/1, but having won Best Picture at the Spirit Awards, a ceremony dedicated to independent filmmakers, it’s now in with a greater chance.

While neither Three Billboards or The Shape of Water were nominated, the Spirit Awards’ Best Picture winner has been the same as the Oscar for the last four years.</s>New Delhi: The 90th Academy Awards have come to an end, where 'Shape of Water' was awarded the best picture Oscar.

In what had been considered the closest Oscar race in many years, the Guillermo del Toro directorial defeated strong competition from 'Get Out,' 'Lady Bird' and 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.'

"I want to dedicate this, to every young filmmaker, the youth that is showing us how things are done. Really, they are. In every country in the world," the 53-year-old helmer said.

The cold war-set fantasy thriller stars Sally Hawkins as a mute cleaning woman who discovers a bizarre aquatic-human hybrid in a tank at a secret government lab, and helps it escape.

The flick led to the Mexican filmmaker's first Oscar nod for best picture - though Del Toro was also nominated in 2007 for best original screenplay and best foreign language film for 'Pan's Labyrinth.'

Having led the nominations list with 13, 'The Shape of Water' won four Oscars, including best original score, director and best original design.

The film managed to bag an Oscar despite it being the subject of a plagiarism controversy in recent weeks,.

After the nominations were announced, the family of late playwright Paul Zindel launched legal action over "glaring similarities" between 'The Shape of Water' and Zindel's 1969 play 'Let Me Hear You Whisper.'</s>The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro’s surreal fantasy-romance, has won the Academy Award for best picture, beating out eight other films, including Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which won the Golden Globe for best motion picture drama and was a serious contender for the top award at the Oscars.

In accepting the best picture Oscar on behalf of The Shape of Water, director del Toro said he wanted to dedicate his win to young filmmakers around the world. Best picture wasn’t the first award of the night for The Shape of Water — it went into the night with 13 nominations, the most of any film this year, and came away with four wins, including one for best original score and a best director win for del Toro.

The Shape of Water is a sci-fi love story, set in a rainy imagining of Baltimore in 1962. It’s a tale of outsiders — starring Sally Hawkins as Elisa, a mute woman who works as a janitor and lives alone above a movie theater, just one of the film’s many self-aware nods to the transformative powers of art.

Elisa’s only friends are her next-door neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins), a heartbreakingly lonely gay man, and Zelda (played with down-to-earth compassion by Octavia Spencer), Elisa’s coworker and interpreter. Elisa befriends, saves and falls in love with a sea creature that’s being held captive in the government lab where she works.

The Shape of Water is, at different points, a Cold War drama, a heist movie and a fairytale. While less overtly political than some of its competitors in the best picture field — Get Out and The Post were both thought of and heralded as films specifically responding to the Trump era — the film’s portrayal of a sea monster brought to the U.S. from a South American river as an oppressed outsider can easily be read as an immigrant story. Speaking to Indiewire in November, del Toro discussed how making The Shape of Water had been an intensely personal process for him.

“This movie is a healing movie for me,” he said. “For nine movies I rephrased the fears of my childhood, the dreams of my childhood, and this is the first time I speak as an adult, about something that worries me as an adult. I speak about trust, otherness, sex, love, where we’re going. These are not concerns that I had when I was 9 or 7.”</s>Oscars 2018: The 90th Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood as it happened

The Shape of Water wins the Oscar for Best Picture as Frances McDormand and Gary Oldman are crowned Best Actress and Actor.

Take a look back on the whole show, from red carpet to close.</s>"The Shape of Water," which led with 13 nominations at Sunday's 90th Academy Awards, has won the best picture Oscar.The love story between a mute woman and a mysterious, scaled creature beat the other two major contenders for the night's top honor: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and "Get Out."Frances McDormand and Gary Oldman won the best actress and best actor awards.Oldman and McDormand's win were also no surprise, as both were favorites in the leading actors category.Jimmy Kimmel wasted no time tackling some of the controversial issues facing Hollywood this year.The awards show, hosted by Kimmel for the second year in a row, comes as the Time's Up and #MeToo movements are taking center stage. Gender equality is a hot topic at the event.But first in his opening monologue, Kimmel addressed last year's fiasco when the name of the wrong film was announced as Best Picture winner."This year, when you hear your name called, don't get up right away," Kimmel jokingly advised winners. "Give us a minute."Kimmel also talked about the sexual harassment scandals enveloping Hollywood, with Harvey Weinstein one of just many examples of bad behavior.He noted that the punishment for Weinstein - including being kicked out of the academy and essentially exiled from Hollywood - was long overdue."We can't let bad behavior slide anymore. The world is watching us. We need to set an example," he said."And the truth is if we are successful here, if we can work together to stop sexual harassment in the workplace, women will only have to deal with harassment all the time in every other place they go."The first Oscar of the night was awarded in the Best Supporting Actor category to Sam Rockwell for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri."Retired Lakers great Kobe Bryant won in the Animated Short Film category for "Dear Basketball," the film he wrote that was directed by Glen Keane, with a score by John Williams.Among other notable winners were Guillermo del Toro, Best Director for "The Shape of Water," Allison Janney for Best Supporting Actress for "I, Tonya" and Sam Rockwell for Best Supporting Actor for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.""The greatest thing that art does, and that our industry does, is erase the lines in the sand," said del Toro."Get Out" won the Academy Award for best original screenplay, and Pixar's "Coco" won for Best Animated Feature.Actors Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway returned to the Oscars stage to present the Best Picture award after the envelope snafu last year."It's so nice seeing you again," said Beatty with a grin.This time, the correct winning film was announced, and "The Shape of Water" cast and crew thanked the public.</s>Guillermo Del Toro's film defeated strong competition from 'Get Out,' 'Lady Bird' and 'Three Billboards.'

Mumbai: The 90th Academy Awards have come to an end, where 'The Shape of Water' was awarded the best picture Oscar.

In what had been considered the closest Oscar race in many years, the Guillermo del Toro directorial defeated strong competition from 'Get Out,' 'Lady Bird' and 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.'

With 13 leading nominations, 'The Shape of Water' won four Oscars, including best original score, director and best original design.

"I want to dedicate this, to every young filmmaker, the youth that is showing us how things are done. Really, they are. In every country in the world," the 53-year-old helmer said.

Three widely admired veteran actors won their first Oscars. Gary Oldman won for his Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour,” Allison Janney (“I, Tonya”) took best supporting actress, and Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards”) won best supporting actor. Oldman thanked his “99-years young” mother. “Put the kettle on,” he told her. “I’m bringing Oscar home.”

Frances McDormand won her second Oscar for her performance in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” McDormand asked all the attending female nominees stand up in the theater.

“Look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects that need financing,” declared McDormand. “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen, Inclusion Rider.”

Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic “Dunkirk” landed three awards, all for its technical craft: editing, sound editing and sound design.

“Call Me by Your Name”

 “Darkest Hour”

 “Dunkirk”

 “Get Out”

 “Lady Bird”

 “Phantom Thread”

 “The Post”

 “The Shape of Water” - winner

 “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”

 Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”

 Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”

 Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour” - winner

 Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”

 Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

 Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”

 Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”

 Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” - winner

“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory - winner

 “The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

 “Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green

 “Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin

 “Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

"The Shape Of Water" wins Best Production Design.

"Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405" wins Best Documentary Short.

"The Shape of Water" wins Best Original Score.

Host Jimmy Kimmel opened with a monologue that mixed Weinstein punchlines with earnest comments about reforming gender equality in Hollywood. And of course, Kimmel — returning to the scene of the flub — dove straight into material about last year’s infamous best-picture mix-up.

“I do want to mention, this year, when you hear your name called, don’t get up right away,” said Kimmel. “Give us a minute.”

But while Kimmel spent a few moments on the fiasco known as Envelopegate, he expended far more minutes frankly and soberly discussing the parade of sexual harassment allegations in the wake of the revelations regarding Weinstein. Kimmel cited the industry’s poor record for female directors and equal pay.

“We can’t let bad behavior slide anymore,” said Kimmel. “The world is watching us.”

Gesturing to a giant statue on the stage, he praised Oscar, himself for keeping “his hands where you can see them” and for having “no penis at all.” But Kimmel introduced the broadcast as “a night for positivity,” and cited, among other things, the box-office success of “Black Panther” and “Wonder Woman.”

“I remember a time when the major studios didn’t believe a woman or a minority could open a superhero movie — and the reason I remember that time is because it was March of last year,” said Kimmel.
The Shape of Water wins a leading four awards, including Best Picture, followed by Dunkirk, which won three awards.