“Oppenheimer,” the biopic chronicling the race to build the first atomic bomb, secured seven Academy Awards, including the prestigious Best Picture trophy, during March 10th ceremony as Hollywood commemorated a triumphant year in film.
Irish actor Cillian Murphy earned the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the leader of the U.S. effort in the 1940s to develop the weapon that ultimately ended World War Two. Director Christopher Nolan also received the directing Oscar for “Oppenheimer.”
On the other hand, Emma Stone was named best actress for playing a woman revived from the dead in the dark and wacky comedy “Poor Things.” It was the second Academy Award for Stone, who landed the best actress honor for the 2016 musical “La La Land.”Lily Gladstone’s nomination for “Killers of the Flower Moon” was seen as a strong contender in the highly contested Best Actress category. A win for Gladstone would have marked a historic moment, as she would have become the first Native American to win an acting Oscar.
In the supporting actor categories, Robert Downey Jr. from Oppenheimer and Da’Vine Joy Randolph from The Holdovers celebrated their first Academy Awards victories.
Downey, who received an Oscar nomination in 1993 before facing career challenges due to drug use, clinched the award on Sunday for portraying Oppenheimer’s professional rival, Lewis Strauss. In a light-hearted moment during his acceptance speech, Downey joked, “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order,” before expressing gratitude to his wife Susan, whom he credited with helping him through difficult times.
Meanwhile, Randolph received the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her role as a grieving mother and cafeteria worker in the comedy set in a New England boarding school. Reflecting on her journey, she expressed appreciation for being recognized, stating, “For so long, I always wanted to be different, and now I realize I just need to be myself. I thank you for seeing me.”
The approximately 10,500 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences determined the winners.
Gaza on Spotlight
While outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, demonstrators called for a ceasefire in Gaza, inside the auditorium, actors and artists used their wins to call for peace, drawing on themes presented in the various nominated films.
When the Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” clinched the title of Best International Feature, director Jonathan Glazer seized the moment to address the Israel-Gaza conflict in his acceptance speech.
“Right now, we stand here as individuals who reject the appropriation of our Jewish identity and the Holocaust, which has been used to justify an occupation leading to conflict for countless innocent people. Whether it’s the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, all are victims of this dehumanization. How do we resist?” he declared, prompting cheers and applause from the audience.
Several celebrities, including Eilish, Mahershala Ali, and Mark Ruffalo, donned red pins advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
