Dune: Part Two reviews, Villeneuve wasn't even nominated for Best Director.

After being nominated for five awards at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Dune: Part Two ultimately walked away with two wins for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. The film's sound team which includes Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill, made sure to give Villeneuve a special shout-out during their acceptance speech, with one dubbing Villeneuve "the best director you could possibly work for." This statement was met with an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience. Check out the moment (via ABC) below:

Other nominees for Best Sound included Emilia Pérez, Wicked, A Complete Unknown, and The Wild Robot.

Dune: Part Two also took home the award for Best VFX, beating Wicked, Better Man, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Alien: Romulus. Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer accepted the Oscar for the film, with their win now viewable on the official Oscars YouTube channel:

What Dune: Part Two's Oscar Wins Mean For The Movie

Why The Sequel Didn't Win Big At The 97th Academy Awards

Dune: Part Two was also nominated for Best Production Design and Best Cinematography, but those awards went to Wicked and The Brutalist, respectively. The sci-fi sequel also lost in Best Picture, which went to Anora. The Dune follow-up, then, was moderately successful at the Oscars, but it wasn't the showing that some may have been expecting after the film earned a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score and grossed $714 million at the box office.

Ultimately, Dune: Part Two's performance reinforces that sci-fi is a genre that often struggles to gain recognition at the Oscars. The fact that Villeneuve wasn't even nominated hasn't been particularly well-received, and even Josh Brolin has expressed disappointment that the filmmaker wasn't recognized. In addition to suffering because of its genre, some have speculated that Oscars voters could be waiting to see what Villeneuve does with Dune: Part Three before showering the franchise with awards love after something similar happened with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2002.

Dune: Part Three filming is reportedly set to get underway this June.

Our Take On Dune: Part Two's Oscar Wins

Villeneuve Deserves Recognition

When it comes to sound and VFX, Dune: Part Two is certainly deserving of taking home the Oscars. In addition to telling a compelling story, the film is a remarkable achievement on a sensory level, bringing the world of Arrakis to life with incredible detail and impressive senses of scale and intimacy.

Villeneuve, of course, was crucial to Dune: Part Two coming together and being so well-received, and it's a shame that he didn't earn a nomination this year. With Dune: Part Three set to potentially arrive in late 2026, it's possible that more awards recognition for Villeneuve and for the franchise will be seen at the 2027 Oscars.

Source: ABC, Oscars