A slap that overshadowed achievements

The 94th Academy awards were historic, but not in the sense that you are probably thinking.

It was only the third time that a female filmmaker had won the Best Director.

Sian Heder's "CODA" and her team took home Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, on the same night that Ariana DeBose became the only homosexual woman of colour to win Best Supporting Actress.

Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for her unforgettable performance in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye".

Momentous achievements in their own right, these women had their spotlight hijacked, I would argue, by a slap that not only resonated across the world, but also hindered the credibility of this year's Oscars.

The air in Dolby Theatre was stifled when Will Smith, otherwise known as a gentle and tolerant man, slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage. The comedian had compared Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia, to GI Jane, a character who also happens to be bald.

In a true moment of irony, he claimed to be a "vessel of love" when he won the award for Best Actor during the programme – after an apology of sorts.

Not all, however, was lost, as many still recognised what the women had accomplished in that fateful night. Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, wished Jane Campion, saying:  "Thank you for once again putting New Zealand on the world stage, displaying just how beautiful our country is with her talent, her skills and her storytelling. It's a phenomenal outcome and I know we're all very proud of her."

Jane Campion was already a trailblazer, as she was the first female director in the Academy Awards, nominated twice in the category. She was previously nominated in 1994 for The Piano.

The bottom line is, perhaps, that Will Smith and Chris Rock can resolve their problems after the events, at any manner of their mutual consent.

The stars who broke new ground in cinema this year, however, will never have their moment at the 94th Academy Awards back.