On Sunday night, the Oscars made some history, with “Nomadland” filmmaker Chloé Zhao taking home the Academy Award for Best Director — the first Asian-American woman to do so.

In her acceptance speech, director Zhao recalled a game she played with her father while growing up in China involving classic texts and poems. One phrase has stuck with her: “People at birth are entirely good,” she said. “Even though sometimes it might seem like the opposite is true, but I have always found goodness in the people I’ve met everywhere I went in the world. So this is for anyone who has the faith and courage to hold onto the goodness in themselves and to hold onto the goodness in each other, no matter how difficult it is to do that.”

“Nomadland” also won the top prize for Best Picture, with star Frances McDormand — who also won Best Actress — helping to accept the award and letting out several vibrant howls after she declared, “We give this one to our Wolf,” a nod to “Nomadland” sound mixer Michael Wolf Snyder, who died at age 35 last month. McDormand bested competition including Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Andra Day (who won the Golden Globe for her role in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”), Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”) and Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”).

Meanwhile, Anthony Hopkins, the oldest Best Actor nominee at age 83, grabbed that prize for his role in “The Father.” The award came nearly three decades after he nabbed the gold for the thriller “The Silence of the Lambs.” He faced significant competition from the late “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” star Chadwick Boseman — a favorite, having already been a posthumous Golden Globe and SAG Awards winner for his heartbreaking role — as well as Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Steven Yeun (“Minari”) and Gary Oldman (“Mank”).

“Judas and the Black Messiah” star Daniel Kaluuya won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. “I’m so happy to be alive, so let’s celebrate that tonight,” he said in his remarks. “Let’s celebrate life, man. We’re breathing, we’re walking; it’s incredible,” cheekily adding a nod to his birth, “My mum, my dad, they had sex,” to a mortified reaction from his family in the audience.

And “Minari” star Yuh-Jung Youn beat out eight-time nominee Glenn Close to take home the statue for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, accepting it from Brad Pitt. “I’d like to thank my two boys, who make me go out and work,” she joked in her remarks. “This is the result because mommy works so hard.”

In an inspirational moment, filmmaker and philanthropist Tyler Perry received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from nominee Viola Davis, who said he “personifies empathy” in her introduction.

“My mother taught me to refuse hate. She taught me to refuse blanket judgement. It this time,” he said in his acceptance speech, which included a story about helping a stranger in need. “It is my hope that all of us would teach our kids — and I want to remember — just refuse hate. Don’t hate anybody. I refuse to hate somebody because they are Mexican or because they are black or white or LGBTQ. I refuse to hate someone because they are police officers. I refuse to hate someone because they are Asian. I would hope that we would refuse hate.”

Regina King kicked off the festivities at the Dolby Theatre, in front of a tiered, socially distanced, star-filled crowd. In her remarks, she led off with a reflection on the conviction of Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty last week on all charges in the 2020 killing of George Floyd.

“I’m gonna be honest: If things had gone differently in Minneapolis, I might have traded in my heels for marching boots,” she said, adding that the killing hit home for her. “As a mother of a black son, I know the fear that so many live with — and no amount of fame and fortune changes that.”

The 93rd annual Academy Awards, originally scheduled for Feb. 28, were postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The show broadcast from the Dolby Theatre and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles on ABC.

The full list of winners and nominees appears below. And don’t forget to check out The Post’s other Oscars-related coverage.