The 98th edition of the Oscars is being held in a climate of high international tension, marked by the escalation of war in Iran, the growing geopolitical polarization and the controversial immigration reforms promoted by the White House.
After the silence of the Golden Globes, with a lukewarm and calm gala, the biggest film awards gala hopes to recover its vindictive character in a hotbed of expectations where glamour seems to have given way to the urgency of taking a stand in the face of the divisive and complex political context.
Although award organizations usually opt for institutional silence to avoid reprisals, it is individual pressure that often forces the use of spaces for political vindication.
In recent months, activism by Hollywood personalities has been taking shape on red carpets with the ‘ICE Out’ pin, with which artists have taken a stand against the Donald Trump administration’s mass deportations.
The movement emerged in the midst of the outbreak of protests in the United States following the death of activist Renée Good in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents, an event that has unified the artistic community against immigration violence.
There have also been silent protests in recent years in favor of Palestine, with red ‘Artists4Ceasefire’ pins, symbolizing support for a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid in the region.
Javier Bardem and Wagner Moura, of the fiercest voices
The Spanish Javier Bardem, the Brazilian Wagner Moura or the American Marc Ruffalo are presented at this gala as one of the fiercest voices against what is happening in the world.
Wearing a Palestinian kufiya around his neck in support of the Gazans, the Spanish actor raised his voice during the carpet of the last edition of the Emmy Awards to demand sanctions against “the genocidal state of Israel, not only for the ongoing genocide, but also for the state of apartheid that causes so much heartbreak”.
Both Bardem and Ruffalo have led the criticism against warmongering in the Middle East, promoting a manifesto that reached 1,400 signatures against collaboration with Israeli production companies linked to the conflict with Palestine.
For his part, Moura, nominated this year for best actor for ‘The Secret Agent’ (‘O agente secreto’), focused his speech on protecting the migrant workers who sustain the entertainment economy.
For now, the debate over how much space to cede to protest versus pure entertainment remains open at the Oscars.
The host of this year’s gala himself, comedian Connan O’Brien, prefers to tiptoe around the issue in the lead-up to the ceremony.
“I think what’s happening in the world will be a very, very fine balance, between entertaining people and also recognizing some of the realities,” he told a press conference yesterday.
“The tone of our show is very festive and inclusive. It’s a forum for artistic expression, but I think Conan really helps people feel good in the room,” Academy Awards producer Raj Kapoor told EFE.
A history of powerful speeches at the Oscars; will there be one against Trump?
The history of Hollywood’s most prestigious awards has a legacy of moments in which its greatest showcase has been used for political and social confrontation.
Without going any further, the creators of ‘No Other Land’, the Palestinian Basel Adra and the Israeli Yuval Abraham, winners of the Oscar for best documentary, asked last year after receiving their recognition to work on a joint solution to put an end to the conflict in Palestine.
“There is a different path, a political solution without any supremacy of national rights for both peoples,” and U.S. foreign policy “is helping to block the path” to the two-state solution, Abraham said.
The shadow of Trump’s first term already conditioned the 2017 gala, marked by constant allusions to the controversial immigration veto and the defense of cultural diversity.
That year, at the Golden Globes, Meryl Streep gave a speech in favor of immigrants and against the political violence exercised by the U.S. president.
In another of the most powerful speeches in recent memory, at the height of the invasion of Iraq under President George Bush in 2003, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore delivered an incendiary ‘Shame on you, Mr. Bush’ that divided the crowd between boos and cheers.
Although the most memorable probably took place in 1973 when Marlon Brando turned down his Oscar for ‘The Godfather’ and delegated activist Sacheen Littlefeather to denounce the industry’s systematic mistreatment of Native Americans, reported Agencia EFE.
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