In perhaps the first time in Oscar history, best picture was mistakenly announced at the Academy Awards, with La La Land announced before Moonlight was ultimately confirmed as the winner.
In an unprecedented mix-up, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced La La Land as the winner but later revealed it was really coming-of-age story Moonlight that took the prize.
Moonlight, the acclaimed three-act tale of a poor, young black man struggling with his identity and sexuality, also won for best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor Mahershala Ali.
Ali landed the first Oscar of the night for his widely praised turn as a drug dealer-turned-father figure to the film`s central character and earned a standing ovation from the Los Angeles crowd.
In his speech, he paid tribute to the teachers who told him: it's not about you. It's about these characters. You are a servant.You're in service to these characters and these stories."
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Jordan Horowitz, left, a producer with La La Land, tells the audience that contrary to first announced, Moonlight is the actual winner of best picture. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
La La Land, the contemporary romance and ode to Hollywood musicals, had dominated the Academy Awards up to that point and appeared headed for its seventh win from a record-tying 14 nominations.
The film's director, 32-year-old Damien Chazelle, became the youngest ever to win a best director Oscar, while Emma Stone picked up best actress for her performance in the musical as an aspiring starlet. It also nabbed Academy Awards for cinematography, production, score and the song City of Stars.
Casey Affleck's searing turn in Manchester By the Sea captured the best actor trophy.
The evening veered between lighthearted bits and jokes led by host Jimmy Kimmel and passionate arguments for inclusiveness and unity by winners and presenters.
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Best Actress winner Emma Stone is congratulated by Leonardo DiCaprio as she accepts her award for La La Land. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)
Black stories came to the forefront early on, with Academy Awards presented to Ali, Viola Davis and the documentary O.J.:Made in America.
Davis earned the best supporting actress trophy for her role as a put-upon wife in Fences, reprising her Tony-winning role opposite Denzel Washington in his adaptation of the August Wilson play.
"I become an artist and thank God I did because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life. Here's to August Wilson, who exhumed and exaulted the ordinary people," said Davis, who has previously won Emmy and Tony Awards.
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Viola Davis delivers an emotional speech on stage after she won the award for Best Supporting Actress in Fences at the 89th Oscars on Sunday in Hollywood. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow won best documentary feature for their film O.J.: Made in American, examining the O.J. Simpson trial but also the tumultuous social history of the United States.
Sylvain Bellemare gave a shout out to to his hometown of Montreal upon winning best sound editing for Arrival. Another winning Canadian is Alan Barillaro of Chippawa, Ont., who paid tribute to his "three little pipers" back home when his adorable Pixar film Piper won best animated short.
Politics, protest in the spotlight
With a former reality TV star who delights in creating controversy now in the Oval Office, politics has seeped into all aspects of American life and also had a place at the Oscars. Protest speeches were peppered throughout the ceremony.
"I am an immigrant... this is for the immigrants!" declared Alessandro Bertolazzi, one of the Suicide Squad trio upon their Oscar win for best makeup.
"As a Mexican, as a Latin American, as a migrant worker, as a human being I'm against any form of wall that wants to separate us," actor Gael Garcia Bernal said between presenting awards.
When Iran's The Salesman won for best foreign film, Iranian astronaut Anousheh Ansari served as a representative for director Asghar Farhadi, who decided to boycott the ceremony because of U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban.
"My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S.," Ansari read from Farhadi's statement.
Music and sketches
Justin Timberlake gave the show a rollicking musical kick-off, leading a line of dancers into the Hollywood and Highland Center`s Dolby Theatre. His upbeat performance of Can't Stop the Feeling from Trolls brought the stars to their feet to join in. Other best original song nominees punctuated the show, including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Auli'i Cravalho performing How Far I'll Go from Moana, Sting singing The Empty Chair from Jim: The James Foley Story and John Legend combining Audition and City of Stars from La La Land.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel took on Matt Damon, Donald Trump and the diversity problems the Academy has dealt with in the past during his monologue. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Late night's Kimmel slightly toned down his typical snark for his debut as Oscar host, but still managed to take digs at Matt Damon, Donald Trump and the diversity problems suffered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in his monologue. He also introduced an Oscars version of his popular Mean Tweets bit from Jimmy Kimmel Live! as well as a lengthy segment where Los Angeles tour bus visitors were led through the front row to meet the stars.
Best picture: Moonlight
Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea
Actress: Emma Stone, La La Land
Director: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Supporting actress: Viola Davis, Fences
Supporting actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Original screenplay: Manchester By the Sea
Adapted screenplay: Moonlight
Foreign film: The Salesman (Iran)
Animated feature: Zootopia
Animated short: Piper
Live Action Short: Sing
Documentary short subject: The White Helmets
Documentary feature: O.J.: Made in America
Live action short film: Sing
Sound mixing: Hacksaw Ridge
Sound editing: Arrival
Film Editing: Hacksaw Ridge
Makeup and Hairstyling: Suicide Squad
Costume Design: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Production design: La La Land
Cinematography: La La Land
Original score: La La Land
Original song: City of Stars, La La Land
Visual Effects: The Jungle Book
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