Los Angeles: The 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, unfolded against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East, with several prominent actors and filmmakers using the global stage to call for peace and humanitarian concerns linked to global conflicts
Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the glittering ceremony celebrated the best in cinema, marked by strong political statements on the red carpet and during the acceptance speeches and, yes, veiled digs at United States President Donald Trump.
Here are all the political moments
No to war, Free Palestine: Javier Bardem
Noted Spanish actor Javier Bardem made his stand crystal clear on which side of history he prefers. He walked the red carpet wearing a “Free Palestine” pin and a large badge “No a la Guerra” (“No to war”). “The pin I wear was used in 2003, the Iraq war, which was an illegal war. And we are here, 23 years later, with another illegal war… created by Trump and Netanyahu, with another lie. Now it’s about overthrowing a regime that they’re only radicalising,” the No Country for Men said, adding, “And also Palestine, the symbol of resistance.”
The Oscar winner made the most direct anti-war statement when, while presenting the award for Best International Feature Film, and accompanied by Indian actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, he delivered the most poignant speech of the night: No to war, and Free Palestine.
He was received with thunderous applause.
Gaza docudrama draws attention
Members of the team behind The Voice of Hind Rajab, a docudrama about attempts to rescue the 11-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in 2024, walked the red carpet wearing the Artists4Ceasefire pins.
The actors of The Voice of Hind Rajab, which earned a nomination for Best International Feature Film, defiantly showcased their support for a Free Palestine and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Jordanian-Palestinian actress Saja Kilani plays a member of the emergency rescue team that tries in vain to evacuate Hind, said her team was honoured to bring the film to a global audience. “The Voice of Hind Rajab’s message reflects wider struggles for justice and our struggles are connected. So is our liberation.”
Director Kaouther Ben Hania echoed Kilani’s views, appealing for an end to the ongoing conflict. “People are being bombed. We need accountability, justice and peace,” the Tunisian filmmaker said, adding that the red carpet should not be detached from global realities.
Charithra Chandran calls for using platform for change
British actress Charithra Chandran, known for Bridgerton Season 2, also wore the Artists4Ceasefire pin on the red carpet, urging for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. “What we are demanding is a ceasefire in Gaza, I think that I am so blessed to have a platform and this is the least I could do to use it,” she told Hollywood Reporter, dressed in an emerald green gown.
“Sometimes the news cycle is so fast and people move on but the people in Gaza and the West Bank are still suffering,” she added.
‘ICE OUT’ pins highlight immigration debate
Alongside calls for peace in Gaza, some attendees wore “ICE OUT” pins, referencing criticism of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Polish-American costume designer Malgosia Turzanska, nominated for Hamnet, had an ‘ICE OUT’ pin on her dress, as did songwriter and singer Sara Bareilles and costume designer Malgosia Turzanska. Author and activist Glennon Doyle carried a handbag emblazoned with “F*** ICE” in beaded lettering.
Jimmy Kimmel
Four-time Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel spoke against attacks on freedom of speech. This time, as a presenter for the Best Documentary award, he said, “There are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech. I am not at liberty to say which. Let’s just leave it at North Korea and CBS.”
He remarks referred to allegations that the US network CBS censored content after blocking the broadcast of a 60 Minutes segment on deportations under the Trump administration, as well as an interview by Stephen Colbert with a Texas Democrat.
“We hear a lot about courage at shows like this, but telling a story that could get you killed for telling it is real courage,” the late-night show host said.
“There’s an international community of filmmakers dedicated to telling the truth, oftentimes at great risk, to make films that teach us, that call out injustice, that inspire us to take action,” he said.
In a satirical dig, he brought up media giant Amazon Prime for promoting President Trump’s wife, Melania. “And there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes,” he quipped.
“Oh man, is he going to be mad his wife isn’t nominated?” Kimmel joked.
Stop these wars, for our children
Accepting the Best International Feature Film Oscar for Sentimental Value, Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier paraphrased US civil rights activist and author James Baldwin: All adults are responsible for all children. Let’s not vote for politicians who don’t take this seriously.
Speaking backstage, Trier said that as a father of two, he deeply empathised with children affected by conflicts around the world. “We’ve seen Palestinian children suffer, children from Ukraine suffer, and children from Sudan suffer, and there doesn’t seem to be any accountability at the moment,” he said.
Australian actor Joel Edgerton also expressed Tier’s sentiments, saying the suffering of children is distressing. “As a father of young kids, watching children being harmed around the world for the wrong reasons breaks my heart,” he said.
Iranian director MohammadReza Eyni said the war had also disrupted communication with people inside Iran. “We wanted to celebrate this moment with our people, but we don’t even have internet access to talk with them,” he said, expressing hope for peace in the country.
David Borenstein, director of “Mr Nobody Against Putin,” which won the Best Documentary, appealed to world leaders to stop the war for the future generation.
“Mr Nobody Against Putin’ is about how you lose your country. And what we saw when working with this footage is that you lose it through countless, small, little acts of complicity,” he said while accepting the award, flanked by his team.
In an indirect reference to the ongoing US-Israel attack on Iran and the murder of two American nationals for standing up against ICE, he said, preferring to stay as a mute witness to the crimes and murder is a choice.
“When a government murders people on the streets of our major cities, when we don’t say anything, when oligarchs take over the media and control how we could produce it and consume it, we all face a moral choice. But luckily, even a nobody is more powerful than you think,” he said.
The film’s co-director, Pavel Talankin, concluded the speech by saying “In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now.”
