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Everything Everywhere All at Once has won the coveted best picture trophy at the 95th Academy Awards as Hollywood embraced an off-kilter story about a Chinese-American family working out their problems across multiple dimensions.

The movie claimed seven awards overall, including three of the four acting Oscars for stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Yeoh, the first Asian woman to win best actress, played the lead role of a stressed-out laundromat owner who finds she has superpowers in alternative universes.

"For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities," the 60-year-old Malaysian actress said on stage. "And ladies, don't let anybody ever tell you you are ever past your prime."

Yeoh defeated Cate Blanchett, who was nominated for her role in Tar, in what was a rough Sunday night for Australian nominees at the Dolby Theatre.

Among them was Catherine Martin, who lost in three categories - best costume design, production design and best picture - for her husband Baz Luhrmann's Elvis. The biopic also missed out on best cinematography for fellow Aussie Mandy Walker. Luhrmann wasn't among the best director nominees.

Elsewhere, Brisbane-based animator Lachlan Pendragon lost in the animated short film category.

Everything Everywhere was an improbable winner as a film that strayed far from traditional storytelling to spin a kung fu adventure about a family at odds.

Quan, a one-time child star who gave up acting for two decades, won best supporting actor for his portrayal of Yeoh's disgruntled husband in a family grappling with a tax audit that threatens their business.

A weeping Quan, who was born in Vietnam, told the audience: "My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. Somehow I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage."

As a boy, Quan starred in a 1984 Indiana Jones movie and The Goonies in 1985. The 51-year-old said he had quit acting for years because he saw little opportunity for Asian actors on the big screen.

"They say stories like this only happen in the movies," he said. "I cannot believe it's happening to me. This is the American dream."

Curtis, who built a career in horror films such as Halloween, won best supporting actress for playing a frumpy tax agent named Deirdre Beaubeirdre.

The 64-year-old looked upward and addressed her late parents, Academy award nominees Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. "I just won an Oscar," she said through tears.

The Whale star Brendan Fraser, known for 1990s roles such as The Mummy and Encino Man, won best actor for playing a severely obese man trying to reconnect with his daughter.

A German remake of World War I epic All Quiet on the Western Front was named best international feature. It won four Oscars, second highest after Everything Everywhere.

Navalny, about the poisoning that nearly killed Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, and his detention since his 2021 return to Moscow, won the Oscar for best feature documentary.

Naatu Naatu, a song from the Indian movie RRR that created a viral dance sensation, was honoured as best original song.

A24, which released Everything Everywhere and The Whale, claimed nine awards, more than any other studio.

A crisis response team was on hand in case of an unexpected twist. The group was formed after Will Smith smacked Chris Rock on stage last year, tarnishing the film industry's most prestigious ceremony.

At the start of the show, two US military aircraft flew over the Oscars theatre, and host Jimmy Kimmel landed on the stage by parachute, in a tribute to best picture nominee Top Gun: Maverick.

Comedian Kimmel joked in his opening monologue about the audience reaction to Smith's attack last year.

"If anything unpredictable or violent happens at the ceremony, just do what you did last year - nothing," he told the crowd of A-listers. "Maybe give the assailant a hug."

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio was named best animated feature.

The ceremony was broadcast on the US ABC network. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hoped to move past the slap and stage a glitzy show and boost sagging TV ratings.

Reuters with AAP

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Australia's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines will create about 20,000 jobs across the next three decades.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will unveil the "optimal pathway" for the submarines under the AUKUS partnership in San Diego, California on Monday local time.

At its height, up to 8500 Australian jobs will be supported to build and maintain the boats and will include highly-skilled scientists, engineers, project managers, and other trades workers.

Asked about the reported $200 billion price tag of the submarines, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek would not confirm the figure ahead of the announcement.

"It's a very long-term project and with it will come a substantial number of jobs and huge investment and a real capability in the Australian economy," she told Seven's Sunrise.

"If we want to be an advanced manufacturing economy, these sorts of projects will really support that, so (it) is great for the defence of the nation."

Thousands of skilled workers will be needed to support growing supply chains, shipyards, and technical bases in all three countries.

Australian Academy of Science President Professor Chennupati Jagadish has warned the country is overly dependent on an overseas-trained workforce and lacks the capacity to train new nuclear scientists.

"Building capability in nuclear science will be central to achieving the aims of the Australian government in developing a nuclear-powered submarine capability," he said.

"Nuclear science in Australia faces a skills crisis. We are significantly behind our peer nations in national nuclear and radiation science capability."

Speaking from India on Saturday, Mr Albanese said Adelaide and Western Australia were set to benefit from the creation of jobs and manufacturing opportunities.

US Congressman Joe Courtney, who co-chairs Washington's "AUKUS caucus" described the security pact as "transformational" for Australian workers.

Mr Courtney said sovereignty fears over joint crewing were "over-hyped", and the boats would be under "Australian control" once handed over.

He provided assurances any second-hand submarines bought by Australia would be of the "highest quality".

"No one's gonna be foisting off clunkers to good friends and allies," he said.

Australia is expected to buy up to five US Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines to prevent a capability gap in the next decade before acquiring a new vessel based on UK designs and US technology.

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Australia are sweating on the fitness of Usman Khawaja after the star opener hurt his left leg while fielding in the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad.

Khawaja was helped off the field by the team doctor following a catching attempt gone wrong on the boundary.

The in-form left-hander was off the ground for almost two hours as India piled on 571 on day four.

Australia had to face six overs before stumps on Sunday, but No.11 Matt Kuhnemann was sent out as a nightwatchman to open with Travis Head instead of Khawaja.

An Australian team spokesperson said Khawaja's injury was "lower leg soreness, nothing conclusive".

When Khawaja went down, the 36-year-old appeared to grab his knee.

It would be a mighty blow for Australia if Khawaja is injured after his marathon 180 in the first innings, one of the finest knocks of his career.

After having a tough first Test against India, Khawaja has hit back to be the leading run-scorer on either team in the series with 333 at 47.57.

Australia's hopes of levelling the series 2-2 seem doomed, with only India having an outside chance of winning the Test on the fifth and final day.

India allrounder Axar Patel said "anything can happen" when asked if his team believed they could secure an unlikely victory.

"If we get two or three wickets early tomorrow, they might play defensive under pressure," Patel said, translated from Hindi.

"The pitch is not like it was in first three matches so we just can go and run over them."

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Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne will face a jury for the third time over the alleged rape of a woman in 2018.

The retrial is set to begin in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Monday, with a jury expected to empanelled.

Facing two counts of sexual assault without consent, the former Parramatta player has consistently denied the allegations.

Hayne, 35, was a star player for the Eels and represented NSW in State of Origin. He also played international games for Australia and Fiji.

© AAP 2023