At the 97th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, Hollywood A-listers had more on their minds than the Middle East, such as the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles and the recent death of Gene Hackman, and symbols representing the Israel-Hamas conflict were fewer than at last year’s broadcast and on the red carpet. Acceptance speeches for awards this year featured mentions of the hostages still held in Gaza and of antisemitism.
Ramat Aviv resident and father of two Israeli kids, Quentin Tarantino, presented the award for Best Director for Anora to Sean Baker, and Anora, the story of a Brooklyn sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, was the big winner of the night.
In addition to Best Director, it won Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress for newcomer Mikey Madison, whose real name is Mikaela Madison Rosberg.
Israeli superstar Gal Gadot, resplendent in a slinky red gown, presented an award for Best Visual Effects with her Snow White co-star, Rachel Zegler. Zegler has posted support for Palestine many times and there have been rumors of discord between the two, but they were all smiles at the podium and neither wore a symbol referencing the war. Gadot also declined to wear the yellow-ribbon pin when presenting at the Golden Globes earlier this year. Gadot’s husband, Jaron Varsano, appeared to be wearing a silver pin in the shape of the yellow-ribbon pin on the red carpet last night.
There were many pins this year, but most, like the glittery one that Best Actor winner Adrien Brody wore, were likely apolitical fashion statements. Guy Pearce wore a white enamel dove that said, “Free Palestine.” Pearce was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Brutalist but lost to Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain, the story of Jewish cousins visiting Holocaust sites in Poland to honor their grandmother, which was written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg.
Last year, many red pins given out for Artists4Ceasefire were seen on the red carpet. The Brigade, a group created by pro-Israel film industry professionals after October 7, released a statement last month condemning the Artist4Ceasefire pins, saying, which are red and depict a stylized hand, saying, “That pin is no symbol of peace. It is the emblem of Jewish bloodshed,” since it was inspired by a photo of the bloody hands of a member of a mob that lynched two soldiers in the West Bank in 2000.
Adrien Brody won Best Actor for The Brutalist, in which he portrays a Holocaust survivor who works as an architect in the US.
Brody, whose previous win was playing another survivor in The Pianist, said in his acceptance speech, “I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and system oppression and of antisemitism and racism and of othering. And I believe that, I pray for a healthier, happier and more inclusive world. And I believe that if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked… Let’s fight for what’s right, let’s rebuild together.”
Zoe Saldana won Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Perez, a Spanish-language musical about a Mexican drug cartel leader who becomes a woman, undergoing surgery in Tel Aviv.
Best Adapted Screenplay went to the movie Conclave, about the selection of a new pope.
The Brazilian film, I'm Still Here by Walter Salles, about a woman whose husband is arrested by Brazil's military dictatorship in the 70s, won the award for Best International Feature.
No Other Land
No Other Land, a documentary by Israeli film-maker Yuval Abraham and Palestinian film-maker Basel Adra, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, and Abraham referenced the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in a more nuanced speech than he has given at previous awards shows.
“We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger,” Abraham said about their movie, which was created by a collective of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers. “We see each other; the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end; [and] the Israeli hostages, brutally taken in the crime of October 7, who must be freed. We are intertwined… Together, there is another way.”
He added that when he looked at Basel, he was struck by the fact that they are not equal according to the law on the West Bank. “We live in a regime where I am free, under civilian law. And Basel is under military laws that destroy his life and he cannot control it. There is a different path, a political solution, without ethnic supremacy; national rights for both of our people.” He criticized US foreign policy, saying it was “helping to block this path.”
Adra, who said that he had recently become a father, said he hoped his daughter wouldn’t have to endure “the harsh reality we have been enduring, always fearing settlers’ violence, forced displacements that my community… is facing under the present occupation.” He called on the world to take action to help.
The film chronicles violence by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and expulsions of Palestinians. In past awards appearances for the movie, which has won prizes at film festivals all over the world, including the 2024 Berlinale, comments by its directors drew controversy and accusations of antisemitism, charges the directors rejected.
Not everyone appreciated the fact that Abraham called for the release of the hostages this time. Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar tweeted that the film’s win was a “sad moment” and “sabotage against the State of Israel, especially in the wake of the October 7 massacre and the ongoing war.”
He went on to say that the Oscar win for No Other Land – which was not funded by Israeli film funds – justifies his ministry’s decision to focus on funding Israeli movies that are likely to be hits, such as comedies featuring big stars, rather than more artistic movies or documentaries.
“This is precisely why we passed a reform in state-funded cinema – to ensure that taxpayer money is directed toward works of art that speak to the Israeli audience, rather than an industry that builds its career on slandering Israel on the global stage.”
A number of Oscar-winning films and nominees this year portray Israel, Zionism, and Jewish identity in a positive light, including Emilia Perez, The Brutalist, A Real Pain, and September 5.
