A night of celebration, glamour, and a notable lack of politics!
The 97th Academy Awards was a big night for Hollywood actors, directors, and creatives within the film industry. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the show with a The Wizard of Oz/The Whiz/Wicked medley. Paul Tazewell became the first black man to win ‘Best Costume Design’ for Wicked. At the end of the night, ‘Anora’, (a widely critiqued film for its use of AI), depicting the relationship between a sex worker, Ani (Mikey Madison), and a wealthy Russian oligarch, Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), won ‘Best Picture’. There's no doubt that this year’s Oscars were fun and celebratory, but one might feel slightly blindsided by how apolitical it was.
Apolitical: “Having no interest or involvement in political affairs”.
With the dramatic and polluted incoming of the second Trump administration, the world is watching America’s every move. It has been over a month since President Trump and Vice President Vance’s shakedown of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the Oval Office. The U.S President's alignment with Russia and his tariffs imposed on both Mexico and Canada are alarming, both domestically and internationally. Everyone is on edge, waiting for his, or Elon Musk’s next political move; a move that could alter the course of our political climate. One would expect such a highly anticipated and globally watched award show like the Oscars, to be a time where actors and prominent figures would take a stand against the U.S. government’s recent actions.
But that didn’t happen. In fact, it was so unpolitical that it was a borderline uncomfortable watch.
It’s easy to imagine the Academy writers attempting to add humour to the scripts. Everyone at the Oscars was in on this “joke”, but no-one wanted to mention it. Except it’s not a joke; it’s the livelihoods of millions all around the world that are affected by President Trump’s policies and choices. The downward descent into right-wing ideologies, and the shifting alliances with so-called allies should worry people, it should make people angry. But the Oscars made the state of the world seem…fated, as if Americans and the rest of the world should find peace with the destruction being caused. The consensus was cohesive: make vague remarks in your speeches, but don’t say anything “too political”, and “too controversial”.
‘No Other Land’ won an Oscar for ‘Best Documentary Feature’; it showcased the displacement of Palestinian people, and the friendship formed between a Palestinian activist, and a Jewish-Israeli journalist (Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham). President Trump recently proposed to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, with Palestinians not being allowed to return. He also faced backlash for sharing an AI video on his platform Truth Social, depicting a imagining of Gaza in the future, with bikini clad American and Israeli men and women sunbathing, and enjoying the luxuries of a region that wasn’t theirs to take. It was an alarming and insensitive post that deserved more outrage. The Academy awarding ‘No Other Land’ an Oscar shed light onto an important and crucial (yet divisive) cause for Palestinian sovereignty, the Israeli hostage diffusion, and peace in the region. It won an Oscar despite not having U.S. distribution rights, which only fuelled its support among the Academy members that vote. It was also a poignant moment not just for Adra and Abraham but for the audience, who erupted into applause at each twist and turn of their speech. Yes, it was politically unifying, but, was it a ploy for the Hollywood audience to do the bare minimum to show support? They know all too well the impact and privilege they have, yet are undoubtedly silent during such a tumultuous political climate and reality. Perhaps it was convenient for them.
This year’s Academy Awards highlighted how the American elites are positioned in an apolitical “bubble”. Celebrity activism, after all, has dwindled, especially following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and now with the second Trump administration. Politics, despite it affecting the livelihoods of billions, does not align with, or affect, many actors, directors, and hosts at the Oscars. Having a platform, and using your platform are two entirely different things. It’s evident that political discourse and conversations among Hollywood elites are frowned upon. They have the resources, the connections, and the means to get what they want - no matter who is in power.
All in all, being apolitical at the Oscars was not a ploy. It just emphasised the divide between “us and them”. This is a divide that has been around for decades, and will continue for many more. It is striking to note that ‘No Other Land’ director Hamdan Ballal was recently falsely detained and attacked by the Israeli army (Associated Press, Variety). Yuval Abraham spoke out and criticised the Academy for not offering public support, for which they subsequently published a deeply apolitical statement reminding Academy members that they represent “...many different viewpoints”. This is a stark reminder of the ways in which Hollywood will always remain neutral and distant to the current political atrocities.
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