The 97th Academy Awards, notoriously known as the Oscars, were held on Sunday, March 2. This event celebrates all nominated actors, directors, cast and crew from the past year for their hard work and dedication to the film industry.
The major awards were given to Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor, Zoe Saldana for Best Supporting Actress, Adrien Brody for Best Actor, Mikey Madison for Best Actress and “Anora” for Best Picture.
Many people across the internet were shocked that the film “Emilia Pérez” was nominated for so many awards and even won a few, including Best Supporting Actress.
This film only received one less nomination than the 1997 box office smash, “Titanic.” This was Saldana’s first win as an actress, unfortunately for a movie so negatively received by the public.
This was Madison’s first nomination and Academy Award. She was the first Generation Z to win an Oscar, being only 25 years old at the reception of her award for Best Actress for her role in “Anora.”
“Anora” swept the stage this year at the Oscars, also winning Best Director and Best Picture.
At the press carpet afterwards, Saldana was confronted by the controversies and hate regarding “Emilia Pérez.” Many Hispanics found the film offensive, and many in the transgender community found it odd how, in all acceptance speeches, no one acknowledged the trans community.
The main character of “Emilia Perez” is a transgender woman, and her identity is crucial to the plot, so it begs the question as to why the cast and crew did not acknowledge this.
“First of all, I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended,” Saldana said. “That was never our intention. We spoke and came from a place of love, and I will stand by that.”
The hate for “Emilia Pérez” did not stop there. The song “El Mal” from the film also won Best Original Song. When the composers Clement Ducol and Camille accepted the award, they sang at the end of their speech, which caused much secondhand embarrassment for viewers across the internet.
Paul Tazewell was awarded Best Costume Design for “Wicked.” He was the first Black man ever to do so.
“Wicked” won for Best Production Design as well, awarding the film two Oscars.
“I thought the winners were overall fair and deserving except for a few,” said Jane Carr, a junior mass communication major. “I really enjoyed the moment that ‘Wicked’ won Best Costume because it’s the first time a black man has won the category.”
Comedian Conan O’Brien hosted the 97th Academy Awards, cracking jokes and occasionally making fun of others in a lighthearted way.
“I’m a massive Conan O’Brien fan, so I was very excited that he was hosting the ceremony,” said Makena Hilsmier, a junior middle grades education major. “I recently read a NYT interview about him being quite nervous to host the Oscars, and I think that bit of nerves did him a world of good. I’ve grown tired of award show hosts confidently stinking up the stage, but with Conan, you could tell that it meant a lot to him.”
Some controversies arose from the Oscars about some long and seemingly tone-deaf speeches. Adrien Brody’s speech for winning his second Best Actor award set a record for the longest speech at five minutes and 40 seconds, which included him shushing the band.
For the film “The Brutalist,” which he won his award, Brody was accused of using AI to improve his performance. This prompted internet outrage, with many people saying that Brody shouldn’t have received an Academy Award if he used AI.
“I think Timothee Chalamet deserved Best Actor,” Carr said. “This was his year, and he didn’t use AI to better his performance.”
Chalamet is a 29-year-old star who portrayed Bob Dylan in his biopic, “A Complete Unknown.” He has been nominated for Best Actor twice now.
Although the Oscars are a celebrated event across the world, many viewers think they should address more political issues in the world.
“As the Oscars are a nationwide event, I felt it would’ve been better to address more of our political climate,” Carr said. “Movies are political. Period. They always have been and always will be.”
It is important for worldwide television broadcasts not to ignore world issues and to consider how they can help.
The 97th Academy Awards were as usual full of excitement, laughter and controversy. Whether viewers thought the Oscars this year were perfect, embarrassing or lacked political awareness, the awards stirred up the internet in some big way.