'Shape of Water' takes home Best Picture at history-making Oscars

The long wait is over. In a tight competition that is not seen in years, The Shape of Water took home the Best Picture award at the 90th Academy Awards in Hollywood's Dolby Theater, California, Sunday night local time.

The 90th Academy Awards, Hollywood's highest honor, was hosted by late night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel for the second consecutive year.

The Shape of Water led the nominations with 13 nods, followed by Dunkirk (8) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7).

Guillermo del Toro won the Best Director award, beating Christopher Nolan, Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig, and Paul Thomas Anderson.

"I am an immigrant, like many of you... and I think the greatest thing our industry does is to erase the lines in the sand, we should continue doing that when the world tells us to make them deeper," the Mexican director said in his acceptance speech.

No surprise, the Best Actress Oscar went to Frances McDormand for playing a revenging mother in Three Billboards while Gary Oldman was crowned the Best Actor for portraying Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.

Allison Janney was named the Best Supporting Actress for her role as an abusive mother in I, Tonya while Sam Rockwell snatched the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Three Billboards.

Jordan Peele won the Best Original Screenplay for Get Out. It marks the first time ever that a black man won in the category in the Oscars history.

Dunkirk, however, only got three technical awards, including best film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.

End of awards season

"I'm hopeful that things will go smoothly tonight. This is a big one, this is the 90th Academy Awards," Kimmel said in his opening monologue.

The ceremony officially put a cap on the industry's awards season in months that was plagued by sexual misconduct scandals triggered by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

This year's awards ceremonies also witnessed the uprising of the "Time's Up" and #MeToo campaigns which eventually evolved into a social movement.

Kimmel spared no time to address the issue. "We can't let bad behavior slide anymore. The world is watching us, we need to set an example."

The 90th Oscars did.

Greta Gerwig is only the fifth woman ever in Oscars history to be nominated for best director – for comedy/drama "Lady Bird".

There was also the first nod in history for a female cinematographer, Rachel Morrison, who shot Dee Rees's racial drama Mudbound.

Other awards winners:

Best Adapted Screenplay: James Ivory (Call Me by Your Name)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Darkest Hour

Best Costume Design: Mark Bridges (Phantom Thread)

Best Sound Editing: Dunkirk

Best Sound Mixing: Dunkirk

Best Visual Effects: Blade Runner 2049

Best Cinematography: Roger A Deakins (Blade Runner 2049)

Best Film Editing: Dunkirk

Best Documentary Feature: Icarus

Best Production Design: The Shape of Water

Best Animated Short: Dear Basketball

Best Original Song: Remember Me (Coco)

Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water)