LOS ANGELES (AP) — Protests and politics intrude in election year Academy awards On Sunday, as demonstrations for Gaza raged outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, early awards went to “Poor Thing,” “Zone of Interest” and “The Boy and the Heron.”
Traffic disrupted by protests against Israel's war in Gaza Around the Academy Awards Stars' red carpet appearances were delayed on Sunday, turning the spotlight on the Academy Awards. ongoing conflict. Some demonstrators shouted, “Shame on you!” For those who want to go to the Dolby Theater.
Jonathan Glazer is a British film director. Chilling Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest'' Winner of the Best International Film Award, it depicts the dehumanization depicted in his films and its connections to today.
“Right now, we need to understand that we are Jewish and that the occupation that has led to the conflict of so many innocent people, whether it be the victims of October 7th in Israel or the victims of the ongoing attack on Gaza. I stand here as someone who refutes the holocaust, which has been hijacked by: all the victims, this humanization, how do we resist?”
The war in Gaza was on the minds of many attendees, as was the war in Ukraine. A year after “Navalny” received the same award, Mstislav Chernov's “20 days in Mariupol” It won the Best Documentary Award for its harrowing chronicle of the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It's the first victory for Associated Press/PBS's “Frontline” and comes as the Ukraine war has gone on for more than two years with no signs of abating.
Mstislav Chernov, a Ukrainian film director and Associated Press reporter whose hometown was bombed the day he learned of his Oscar nomination, spoke forcefully about Russian aggression.
“This is the first Oscar in the history of Ukraine,” Chernov said. “And I'm honored. But I'll probably be the first director on this stage to say I wish I hadn't made this movie.”
“Oppenheimer” blockbuster biopicwas widely expected to crush all competition at the Oscars, including its release-day companion “Barbie.” Christopher Nolan's coronation.
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But it took more than 90 minutes into the show for “Oppenheimer” to receive the award. Instead, Yorgos Lanthimos' Frankenstein riff “Poor Things” ran away with three awards. The gorgeous crafts, Includes awards for production design, makeup, hairstyling and costume design.
Robert Downey Jr. Awarded Best Supporting Actor in Academy awardswhich won him his first Oscar and marked the 58-year-old actor's crowning moment in a checkered career.
Downey's stellar second act culminated Sunday with a supporting role win in Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer.” Downey Jr., 58, had previously been nominated twice (for “Chaplin'' and “Tropic Thunder'').
Downey, the son of film director Robert Downey Sr., said, “I want to thank the Academy for my tragic childhood and for that order.”
Jimmy Kimmel opened the show for the 96th time, marking his fourth time hosting the ABC television broadcast. Academy awards Includes chilling monologues (from Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Hüller, and the dog Messi from Best Picture nominee Anatomy of the Fall).However, Kimmel emphasized that Hollywood will continue to be a “union city” in 2023. actors and writers strikedrew a standing ovation for poaching Teamsters and behind-the-scenes workers who are currently in their own labor negotiations.
The first award of the night was one of the most expected. DaVine Joy Randolph won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Alexander Payne's The Holdovers. An emotional Randolph was escorted on stage by her “Holdovers” co-star Paul Giamatti.
“For a long time, I always wanted to be different,” Randolph said. “And now I realize I should just be myself.”
Randolph's victory was widely expected, but the upset quickly occurred. Hayao Miyazaki's “The Boy and the Heron” Winner of the Best Animated Work Award, a surprise that surpasses the somewhat favorable Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Mr. Miyazaki, the 83-year-old Japanese animation master who returned from retirement to create “The Boy and the Heron,'' did not attend the ceremony. He also did not attend the 2003 Oscar Awards, where Spirited Away won the same award.
The award for Best Original Screenplay went to “Anatomy of a Fall,'' which was written by the same couple as “Barbie,'' directed by Justin Torrier and Arthur Harari. “I think this will help you get through your midlife crisis,” Torie said.
“Barbie'' was nominated for the adapted version, and some thought that Greta Gerwig, who was not nominated for director, would win, but the Oscar award code jefferson, wrote and directed his feature film debut, American Fiction. He implored management to take risks on young filmmakers like himself.
“Instead of making a $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies,” said Jefferson, previously an award-winning television screenwriter.
Due to daylight saving time, the Oscars kicked off an hour early. But time-shifting aside, this year's show followed a tried-and-true Academy Awards tradition. Kimmel returns as host. Past award winners reunited as presenters.And a studio masterpiece It was poised to win major awards.
But Hollywood has plenty of its own storm clouds to worry about.
The 2023 film year was defined as: long strike streaming, artificial intelligence, Changing movie fan tastes Even the most bankable brands have been tested. The Academy broadly nominates films such as: “The Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor thing.” I accepted both “Oppenheimer”. Leading candidate Nod 13 times, and Greta Gerwig's “Barbie” This year's biggest hit, with ticket sales exceeding $1.4 billion and nominations in eight categories.
Amid the expected uproar over “Oppenheimer,” the biggest drama of the night will be in the Best Actress category.with Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) lily gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) has about even odds of winning. This is Stone's second Oscar win, having won for her role in La La Land, but Gladstone's win will go down in Academy Awards history. No Native American has ever won a competitive Oscar.
Although “Barbie” surpassed (and helped push) “Oppenheimer” at the box office, it seems likely that it will fall behind Nolan's film at the Oscars. Gerwig was notably overlooked in the Best Director category, sparking an outcry from some, even Hillary Clinton, who said: It imitated the patriarchy that was parodied in the film.
Historically, the inclusion of a blockbuster film in the Oscar's top prize has been a positive for broadcast ratings. When James Cameron's “Titanic” swept his 1998 Oscars, it drew the largest audience in Academy Awards history.
Last year's awards ceremony featured a completely different set of Best Picture nominees. “Everywhere and everything at once” has won out. was watched by 18.7 million people, an increase of 12% from the previous year. ABC and the Academy expect the upward trend to continue. 2021 is the bottom; The pandemic-reduced telecast moved to Los Angeles' Union Station and was watched by 9.85 million people.
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Associated Press Ryan Pearson and Krysta Fauria contributed to this report
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