Jane Campion has won Best Director for The Power of the Dog while Best Actor nominee Will Smith caused shock by slapping presenter Chris Rock for an insensitive joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss.

The Oscars have been shocked by Best Actor nominee Will Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock for an insensitive joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss.

Smith marched on stage and slapped Rock after he made a joke about Pinkett shaving her head. She suffers from alopecia. The ceremony cut to black briefly, stunning an otherwise predictable ceremony so far.

Top winners so far include Troy Kotsur for CODA, the first deaf man to win an Oscar, and Ariana DeBose for West Side Story, the first queer woman of colour. Dune has led the way with six Oscars in total, in technical categories.

Several New Zealand ties are to be found in the Oscar for Short Film (Live Action) The Long Goodbye by Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia, with executive producers Sally Campbell, Tim Nash and Seth Wilson at production company Somesuch.

The 94th Academy Awards returned to the all-out razzle-dazzle extravaganza we're used to, after smaller muted ceremonies in the past two years due to the pandemic.

Last year less than 200 people were there in person, and many winners received their awards at home in their lounges.

This year pre-parties and red carpet entrances are back on stars' itineraries, before the ceremony kicks off at 1pm New Zealand time at the 3400-person capacity Dolby Theatre, in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

While The Power of the Dog is tipped as the best horse in the race for the Best Picture award, underdog contender CODA has been charming audiences and offers a real threat despite sitting on only three nominations.