The Oscars ceremony Sunday evening kept within the mold of prior awards ceremonies this year, steering clear of politics and avoiding even name-dropping Donald Trump. There was a brief zinger by host Conan O’Brien, spurred by trophies won by “Anora”: “Two wins already, I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.” That evoked Trump’s characterization of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator,” as well as the tense media spectacle of the pair’s White House meeting earlier this week to discuss America’s foreign aid amid Russia’s invasion of the country.
But apart from that, the host and presenters dodged name-dropping Trump at all, even while introducing acting nominees Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan, who were representing a Trump biopic in “The Apprentice.” The evening kept with the tone set by January’s Golden Globes, the first major televised awards ceremony of the season, in which speeches stopped short of directly referencing the then-soon-to-be 47th president. It also marks a contrast from the Oscar ceremonies under Trump’s first term, the first of which saw host Jimmy Kimmel called out the sitting commander-in-chief numerous times: “Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist? That’s gone, thanks to him.”
But despite the reluctance to pronounce Trump’s name, several honorees used their platform to highlight or evoke political issues. There was no more direct, explicit criticism than in the acceptance speech for documentary feature by the Israeli-Palestinian film collective behind “No Other Land,” which follows the destruction of homes on the occupied West Bank by Israeli soldiers. The harrowing film, which has gone undistributed by an industry seemingly reticent to acquire a doc with its subject material, has taken on increasing significance amid Israel’s extended attack on Gaza.
“We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” said co-director Basel Adra, a Palestinian journalist and activist. “About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now. … ‘No Other Land’ reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist.”
Yuval Abraham, another director on the doc, directly called out U.S. foreign policy for exacerbating suffering in the region: “There is a different path, a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people. … And I have to say, as I’m here, the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path.”
Amid other political gestures during the ceremony, presenter Daryl Hannah shouted “Slava Ukraini,” in a presumably unscripted show of support for a country waiting out a U.S. administration that could retract its foreign aid.
In his first of four acceptances speeches over the evening, “Anora” filmmaker Sean Baker offered gratitude to the sex worker community: “They have shared their stories. They have shared their life experience with me over the years. My deepest respect. Thank you, I share this with you.”
In Zoe Saldaña’s acceptance speech for best supporting actress, the “Emilia Pérez” star highlighted her family’s past as immigrants to the U.S., calling herself “a proud child of immigrant parents” and adding “the fact that I’m getting an award for a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish — my grandmother, if she were here, she would be so delighted.” However, no one mentioned the word “trans” despite the film’s overarching theme.
Accepting best actor for “The Brutalist,” Adrien Brody noted that both Oscars he’s won came for playing Holocaust survivors, saying that “I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression, and of antisemitism and racism and othering. … I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world, and I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”