Australian duo Fiona Crombie and Tony McNamara discovered being Oscar favourites for The Favourite did not guarantee shiny gold statuettes.
Production designer Crombie and screenwriter McNamara were early casualties on an historic night at the 91st Academy Awards in Hollywood where a diverse group of nominees and films reigned.
Green Book won best picture, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron collected three trophies for the Spanish-language Roma, Spike Lee took adapted screenplay for BlacKklansman and superhero blockbuster Black Panther picked up three wins.
Three years ago the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences faced an #OscarsSoWhite social media campaign for its lack of diversity in nominees and members.
The Academy responded by aggressively adding to its membership, including this year inviting 928 new members representing 59 countries.
Lee said he would not have been nominated this year if it was not for the landmark shift by the Academy.
"They opened up the Academy to make the Academy more like America - more diverse," Lee said backstage.
"That's why three black women won Oscars."
Regina King won supporting actress for If Beale Street Could Talk.
Black Panther's Ruth Carter became the first black woman to win the costume design Oscar and Hannah Beachler also broke through for her production design on the Marvel superhero blockbuster.
Green Book is set in 1962 and based on the true story of African-American classical pianist Don Shirely, played by Mahershala Ali, touring the US Mid-West and Deep South with tough, white Bronx bouncer Frank Vallelonga.
Ali won supporting actor, his second win in the category in two years.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, starring a a Puerto Rican/African-American teenage boy, also won animated feature film.
Roma, Cuaron's drama set in Mexico City, was favourite for best picture but despite the snub still managed major wins with Cuaron taking the directing and cinematography statuettes and best foreign language film.
Rami Malek won best actor for portraying Freddie Mercury, the British frontman of rock band Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody.
The film also collected editing, sound editing and sound mixing trophies.
Malek said as a boy of Egyptian immigrant parents growing up in Los Angeles he struggled to discover his identity and he hoped Mercury's life story would inspire others who felt like him.
"We made a film about a gay man and immigrant who lived his life unapologetically himself," Malek said.
"The fact I'm celebrating him and his story with you tonight is proof we are longing for stories like this."
The Favourite, which tied Roma's 10 nominations for the most of any film, had its night salvaged by its star, Olivia Colman, who played Queen Anne in the period drama/comedy set in the early 1800s.
Crombie and McNamara went into the ceremony short-priced favourites after picking up BAFTA and major guild wins.
Green Book's writers Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly won the original screenplay ahead of McNamara.
Australian Associated Press
