Damien Chazelle’s La La Land landed the Oscar for Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards, except it didn’t, as the award presenters read out the wrong winner.Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight was in fact given the accolade, in an unbelievably surreal piece of television and undoubtedly the most dramatic moment in Oscars history.

Presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced La La Land as the winner of the night’s biggest award, with cast and crew flooding the stage.

Producer Jordan Horowitz launched into an acceptance speech, getting quite far into it, before the truth slowly spread through the gaggle of people on the podium.Speaking into the microphone, Horowitz announced: “There’s a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won best picture.” As the crowd looked on, bemused, he reiterated: “This is not a joke. Moonlight has won best picture,”

After host Jimmy Kimmel attempted to crack jokes (“Warren, what did you do?”) to break the tension, Beatty explained: “I opened the envelope and it said: Emma Stone, La La Land. That’s why I took such a long pause and looked at Faye, and at you. I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

Jenkins, understandably blindsided, took the stage and tried his best at saying a few words: “Even in my dreams this could not be true. But to hell with dreams! I’m done with it because this is true, oh my goodness.”

The director added: “And it is true, it’s not fake. We have been on the road with these guys for so long and that was so gracious, so generous of them. My love to La La Land. My love to everybody. Man.”

Though the gaff was initially pinned on Beatty/Dunaway, it appears it was a crew member’s responsibility to ensure the correct envelopes make it on stage.

Steve Harvey quickly started trending, his infamous Miss Universe screw-up having been well and truly upstaged:

Many joked that maybe Hillary Clinton did win the presidential election after all, and M. Night Shyamalan had fun with the moment too:

Soon after the award was announced, another twist as Emma Stone revealed she was holding her Best Actress card the entire time.

“I f***ing loved Moonlight. God, I love Moonlight so much,” she told press backtage. “I’m so excited for Moonlight! And, of course, it was an amazing thing to hear La La Land. I think we all would have loved to win Best Picture.

“But we are so excited for Moonlight. I think it is one of the best films of all time. So I was pretty beside myself. I was also holding my Best Actress in a leading role card that entire time.
“So whatever story – I don’t mean to start stuff – but whatever story that was, I had the card.
So, I’m not sure what happened. And I really wanted to talk to you guys first.”

Reacting on Twitter, Jenkins wrote how he was still speechless over the win, posting a photo of the Moonlight announcement card alongside the message.

Mahershala Ali – who won Best Supporting Actor earlier in the night for his role in Moonlight, also commented on the situation.

“La La Land has done so well and has resonated with so many people,” he told press. “When their name was read, I wasn’t surprised, and I was really happy for them. When I did see security or people coming onstage and their moment was being disrupted in some way I got really worried and then when they said ‘Moonlight, you guys have won.’ It just threw me, more than a bit.

“I didn’t want to go up there and take anything from somebody. It’s very hard to feel joy in a moment like that … but I feel very fortunate for all of us to have walked away with the best picture award. It’s pretty remarkable.”

Beatty has previously announced the Best Picture winner on two occasions – once in 1975 and again in 1990. However, it was Dunaway’s first time announcing the award; the Bonnie and Clyde star has so far refused to comment on the event.

The shocking twist, itself worthy of an award, capped off a slightly disappointing night for La La Land, which also failed to pick up many of the technical awards it was expected to, though the film did pick up Best Director, Best Actress and Cinematography. In total, Chazelle’s film took home six awards.

Moonlight meanwhile, in addition to the night’s biggest award, ensnared Best Supporting actor thanks to Ali along with the Original Screenplay prize.

Hacksaw Ridge picked up an unexpected number of awards, taking two in total, while the critically-panned Suicide Squad is now an Oscar-winning film (if just for Hairstyling and Make-up).

Here are the winners in full, updated as announced.

BEST PICTURE
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight *WINNER*

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea *WINNER*
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land *WINNER*
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Mahershala Ali, Moonlight *WINNER*
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Viola Davis, Fences *WINNER*
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

DIRECTING

Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Damien Chazelle, La La Land *WINNER*
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight *WINNER*

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea *WINNER*
20th Century Women

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootropolis *WINNER*

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman *WINNER*
Tanna
Toni Erdmann

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Arrival
La La Land *WINNER*
Lion
Moonlight
Silence

COSTUME DESIGN

Allied
Fantastic Beasts *WINNER*
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Fire at Sea
I am Not Your Negro
Life Animated
OJ Made in America *WINNER*
The 13th

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Extremis
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets *WINNER*

EDITING

Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge *WINNER*
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad *WINNER*

ORIGINAL SCORE

Jackie
La La Land *WINNER*
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers

ORIGINAL SONG

Audition, La La Land
Can’t Stop the Feeling, Trolls
City of Stars, La La Land *WINNER*
The Empty Chair, The James Foley Story
How Far I’ll Go, Moana

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Arrival
Fantastic Beasts
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land *WINNER*
Passengers

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper *WINNER*

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Ennemis Interieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing *WINNER*
Timecode

SOUND EDITING

Arrival *WINNER*
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully

SOUND MIXING

Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge *WINNER*
La La Land
Rogue One
13 Hours

VISUAL EFFECTS
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book *WINNER*
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One

Courtesy:The Independent