CODA wins best picture at 2022 Oscars

Apple TV's Coda, about a teenager who is the only hearing member of a deaf family, has become the first streaming film to win best picture at the Oscars, Yahoo reported on Monday.

Once considered the underdog, Coda beat the presumed frontrunner, the Netflix western The Power of the Dog.

Sir Kenneth Branagh and Riz Ahmed were among the British winners on Sunday.

Jessica Chastain won best actress, but the ceremony was overshadowed when best actor winner Will Smith hit Chris Rock over a joke about his wife, Jada.

The best picture win for Coda - which stands for Children of Deaf Adults - was a victory for a low-budget, independent film that has been praised for its representation of a deaf family, and for its casting of deaf actors.

They included Marlee Matlin, who became the first deaf Oscar winner 35 years ago, and Troy Kotsur, who became the second on Sunday when he won best supporting actor.

The film's 17-year-old daughter is played by British actress Emilia Jones, the daughter of Welsh singer and TV presenter Aled Jones.

With Coda, Apple thwarted Netflix's quest to become the first streaming service to win the prestigious best picture prize.

The Power of the Dog ended up winning one award from its 12 nominations - best director for Jane Campion. The New Zealand film-maker became just the third woman to win best director in the 94-year history of the Academy Awards.

Meanwhile, Seeking Alpha website reported that Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye - one of two Oscars that picture won, adding to Disney's (DIS) total of five awards.

Will Smith won Best Actor for King Richard, after shocking the audience earlier by going on stage to hit Chris Rock, following a joke the presenter made about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Warner Bros. ended up taking seven Oscars, largely due to Dune.

CODA's wins, along with the Directing Oscar for The Power of the Dog, meant that streaming-initiated films took four Oscars, vs. nine last year.

KI/PR