In the most racially, politically, socially and culturally relevant Academy Awards in history, the​ ​Latino presence was front​ ​and center. For the third year in a row Emmanuel Lubezki took the Oscar for Best Cinematography, joined by Alejandro González Iñárritu winning his second Best Director award – both​ ​honored​ ​​for ‘The Revenant.’ Jonas Rivera – along with Pete Docter – won for Best Animated Picture for producing ‘Inside Out.’

Producer Patricio Escala and director Gabriel Osorio win for “La Historia del Oso”

“La Historia del Oso” (Bear Story), produced by Patricio Escala and directed by Gabriel Osorio, won for Best Animated Short, bringing Chile its first ever Academy Award.

With the #OscarsSoWhite​ ​controversy​ ​becoming a major topic of discussion all​ ​Awards​ ​season long, host Chris Rock made a point of tac​​kling the subject head on. His running commentary throughout the evening was funny and drove the point across. The issue of diversity has never been as talked about as it was in this year’s broadcast – and that’s a good thing.

Sam Smith with Jimmy Napes

But it wasn’t​ ​only diversity that was the ​trending topic. Sam Smith winner of Best Original Song with co-writer Jimmy Napes for their work on Spectre’s “Writing’s on the Wall,” spoke on behalf of the LGBT community by proclaiming, “I stand here tonight as a proud, gay man and I hope we can all stand together as equals one day.”

Lady Gaga

Vice President Joe Biden and Lady Gaga addressed rape and sexual abuse through a moving musical number that brought victims to the stage for​ ​a powerful p​​erformance​ ​​of Best Original Song nominee “Til It Happens to You​,​” from​ ​a nominated documentary​ ​on sexual assault allegations on​ ​college​ ​campuses. While introducing Gaga, Biden​ ​urged viewers to “intervene in situations when consent has not or cannot be given. Let’s change the culture.”

Abuse committed by the Catholic church was addressed by “Spotlight,” winner for Best Picture. The film is based on​ ​the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer-winning investigation​ ​on the molestation of children by priests and covered-up by the Catholic Archdiocese. On accepting the award executive producer Michael Sugar​ ​said,​ ​”This film gave a voice to survivors and this Oscar amplifies this voice, which we hope will become a choir that will resonate all the way to the Vatican. ​​Pope Francis, it’s time to protect the children and restore the faith.”

Politics were mentioned by Adam McKay, winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “The Big Short”​ ​-​ ​alongside Charles Randolph​ ​- who said,​ ​”Most of all, if you don’t want big money to control government, don’t vote for candidates that take money from big banks, oil or weirdo billionaires. Stop.”

Mark Rylance, winner of Best Supporting Actor for “Bridge of Spies” also addressed the topic by saying,​ ​”I’ve always just adored stories, hearing them, seeing them, being in them. So for me to have the chance to work with one of the greatest storytellers of all time, Steven Spielberg… And unlike some of the leaders we’re being presented with these days, he leads with such love.”

And while presenting​ ​the Oscar for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects,​ ​Andy Serkis said​, ​”Chris, if you were to put on a motion-capture suit right now—you could play anything from a planet-threatening megalomaniacal monster to Donald Trump and…um, actually that’s not very diverse, but anyway…”

Emmanuel Lubezki, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Leonardo Dicaprio winners for “The Revenant”

Perhaps the greatest impact was made by the two next to last awards of the evening. While being played off the stage Alejandro G. Iñárritu made this statement, “I​ ​am​ ​very lucky to be here tonight​. ​But unfortunately many others haven’t had the same luck. There is a line in the film that says, to his mixed-race son, ‘They don’t listen to you, they just see the color of your skin.’ So what a great opportunity to our generation to really liberate ourselves from all prejudice and this tribal thinking and make sure for once and forever that the color of skin becomes as irrelevant as the length of our hair.”

And finally, the biggest star of the night, the man everyone was rooting for to win his first Oscar came to the stage. Newly minted Academy Award winning actor (for his role in “The Revenant”) Leonardo DiCaprio delivered a poignant speech that paid tribute to his parents, his teachers, his mentors, his agents, and the cast and crew of “The Revenant.” Wrapping up the speech with a subject that’s close to his heart,​ ​and​ one ​for which he has advocated for years: Climate Control. In closing he said, “We need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. 2015 was the Earth’s hottest year on record and the production of​ ​”The Revenant”​ ​had to go to the southern-most tip of Chile to find snow when they needed it. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters or the big corporations, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people who will be most affected by this—for our children’s children, and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed. I thank you all for this amazing award tonight, let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted.”

Best Supporting Actor – Mark Rylance, Best Actress – Brie Larson, 
Best Actor – Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actress – Alicia Vikander

Here’s the complete list of 2016 Academy Award Winners:

Best Picture – Spotlight
Best Actress – Brie Larson, Room
Best Actor – Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Directing – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant
Best Supporting Actress – Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Best Supporting Actor – Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Animated Feature Film – Inside Out
Documentary Feature – Amy
Foreign Language Film – Son of Saul, Hungary
Adapted Screenplay – Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
Original Screenplay – Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Original Score – Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Original Song – “The Writing’s on the Wall” by Sam Smith
Film Editing – Mad Max: Fury Road
Production Design – Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound Editing – Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound Mixing – Mad Max: Fury Road
Visual Effects – Ex Machina
Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
Costume Design – Mad Max: Fury Road
Makeup and Hairstyling – Mad Max: Fury Road
Animated Short Film – Bear Story
Live Action Short Film – Stutterer
Documentary Short Subject – A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgivenessss