Sir Kenneth Branagh Wins His First Oscar, and More Wins for Alumni Projects from “AARP”

The 94th Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars) brought plenty of nominations for projects with ties to Wizarding World alumni. This included individual nominations – both related to their work on Belfast – for two Harry Potter actors. Ciarán Hinds (Aberforth Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2) was nominated for Actor in a Supporting Role, and Sir Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart) was nominated for Directing and Writing (Original Screenplay). Belfast, itself nominated for Best Picture, lost the award to CODA.

While Hinds lost Actor in a Supporting Role to Troy Kotsur for his performance in CODA, it wasn’t all bad news for our Potter alumni. Branagh took home the first Academy Award of his career, winning the award for Writing (Original Screenplay). He did not win in the Directing category, however, with the award going to Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog.

In addition to his three nominations at the 94th Academy Awards (including the Best Picture nomination for Belfast), Branagh has been nominated for a further five Academy Awards, beginning with the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990. You can view Branagh’s full acceptance speech for his Academy Award from backstage embedded below.

Also of note, Jenny Beavan won the Academy Award for Costume Design for her work on Cruella, which included actress Dame Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney). Zack Snyder’s Justice League, including Ezra Miller (Credence Barebone, Fantastic Beasts) as the Flash, won the fan-voted Cheer Moment award for “the sequence in which Ezra Miller’s [t]he Flash runs through the Speed Force,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

Meanwhile, our Wizarding World alumni also did well at the recent 20th AARP Movies for Grownups Awards. There, Belfast took home the award for Best Picture. Spencer, which includes Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) in its cast, won Best Time Capsule for its focus on the life of the late Diana, Princess of Wales (née Diana Frances Spencer).

Congratulations to all the winners of the 94th Academy Awards and the 20th AARP Movies for Grownups Awards!