New Delhi: The 98th Academy Awards ceremony was more political than usual, with both presenters and awardees reflecting on the Iran war and advocating for peace in Palestine.
The Oscars also made history with Autumn Durald Arkapaw becoming the first woman and the first African American to win the award for Best Cinematography. The star-studded ceremony saw a series of memorable moments that went beyond its usual glamour.
A night of movies, glamour, and politics
The evening began with host Conan O’Brien taking a dig at American musician Kid Rock, who has been a supporter of Donald Trump and Republicans. In his opening note, O’Brien said, “I warn you, tonight could get political.”
“If that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternative Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock at a Dave & Buster’s down the street,” he added.
With every winner announced from the stage, a serious message was sent. Paul Thomas Anderson, who won the Best Director award drew parallels between the movie and the current political climate in his acceptance speech for his film One Battle After Another.
Anderson, receiving his first Oscar, said, “I wrote this movie for my kids, to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them. But also with the encouragement that they will hopefully be the generation that brings us some common sense and decency.”
Actor Sean Penn, who won the award for Best Supporting Actor, did not attend the ceremony. The New York Times reported that the actor was visiting Ukraine and “has a history with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”
Priyanka Chopra’s nod
Although The Guardian called the night “unusually polemical”, Indian actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas was non-committal as usual while presenting the award for Best International Film along with Spanish actor and Oscar winner Javier Bardem.
Bardem walked on the stage sporting a “No to war” pin along with his black tuxedo. Before announcing the award, he boldly declared, “No to war. Free Palestine”. Bardem, known for films such as No Country for Old Men (2007) and Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008), has strongly opposed and condemned the ongoing conflicts.
Chopra Jonas, on the other hand, did not comment, only nodding along with an awkward smile. Her actions were picked up by X users, who called her “Indian Dal Gadot”.
Another user noted the Indian actor being uncomfortable, “Astonishing the lengths Indian celebrities go to in becoming apologists for hate crimes.”
It was the second time the Baywatch (2017) actor was presenting at the Oscars.
British actor Charithra Chandran, known for role as Edwina Sharma in season 2 of Netflix’s Bridgerton, also advocated for a ceasefire in Palestine. While talking to a reporter, she said, “I think I am blessed to have a platform; this is the least I can do it to use it. New cycles move fast, people move on, but people in Gaza and the West Bank are still suffering.”
Director Joachim Trier, who won the award for Sentimental Value, a film about generational trauma, ended his acceptance speech by paraphrasing American writer James Baldwin: “All adults are responsible for all children. Let’s not vote for politicians that don’t take this seriously into account.” Although Trier’s quote did not directly name or criticise anyone, it did have political overtones.
This year, the Academy Awards became a stage for expressing concern about several ongoing political crises across the globe. The team of docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, which was nominated for Best International Film, wore pins demanding a “permanent ceasefire” to the war in Palestine. The lead actor, Motaz Malhees, a Palestinian, could not travel to the ceremony in Los Angeles due to a travel ban imposed by United States President Donald Trump on Palestinians entering the country.
The makers of Cutting Through Rocks, a documentary about the life of the first Iranian councilwoman from a rural region, used their time at the Oscars Red Carpet to express solidarity with the people of Iran. The film’s co-director, Sara Khaki, said “We are here to stand by the rights of our people.”
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Michael B Jordan pays tribute
African American actor Michael B Jordan, who won his first Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Sinners, expressed his gratitude to fellow Black actors. He named legendary actors such as Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith as having established the ground for others like him in Hollywood.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me,” Jordan said while accepting the award.
Meanwhile, the maker of KPop Demon Hunters, which also won the award for Best Original Song, dedicated the award for their second win of the night for Best Feature Film to Koreans.
Co-director Maggie Kang, in a teary voice, said “I am so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this. But it is here. And that means that the next generations don’t have to go longing. This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”
Gloria Cazares, who was a subject in the Netflix short documentary All the Empty Rooms, described her daughter’s room, which has been “frozen in time” since her death during a school shooting in the US. “Gun violence is now the number one cause of death in kids and teens. We believe that if the world could see their empty bedrooms, it would be a different America”, she said.
The makers of Mr Nobody Against Putin, which won the award for Best Documentary (Feature), called out the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the killings in their acceptance speech.
“When we don’t say anything, when oligarchs take over the media and control how we produce it and consume it. We all face a moral choice, but even nobody is more powerful than we think,” said co-director David Borenstein.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)