Oscars 2021: Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon grace the awards show

The 93rd Academy Awards kicked off an in-person ceremony with a starry list of A-list guests in attendance, including Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Harrison Ford and Reese Witherspoon.

Pitt, last year's Best Supporting Actor winner, is also joined by 2020 winners Joaquin Phoenix, Renée Zellweger and Laura Dern at the star-studded awards ceremony.

Margot Robbie looked stunning in a shimmering floral gown and debuted a stylish fringe as she arrived at the event.

This year COVID restrictions have whittled the VIP guest list down to only 170 people, from the usual 3,000 at the wold's biggest film awards show.

The world's biggest movie awards show began with screenplay trophies that went a pair of Europeans: "Promising Young Woman's" Emerald Fennell -- for a story that dealt with sexual assault -- and "The Father's" Florian Zeller, both of whom also directed those films. (The latter accepted remotely, but most nominees were in Los Angeles.)

Daniel Kaluuya earned his first Oscar for "Judas and the Black Messiah," playing Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, in a movie that released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max.

Chloe Zhao has made history by becoming the first woman of colour - and only the second woman at all - to win the best director award at the Oscars. Youn Yuh-jung won best supporting actress.

Halle Berry made her red carpet debut with her boyfriend Van Hunt at the glitzy Hollywood event.

The 93rd Academy Awards are underway in Los Angeles in a ceremony like no other.