In a surprising turn of events at the 2024 Oscars, the fight for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the ongoing humanitarian crisis took center stage, both on the red carpet and on the streets of Los Angeles. Pro-Palestine protesters, numbering in the hundreds, disrupted the famous event, causing a delay that was more than just a technical fault.
As the New York Times reports, the protesters, armed with signs reading “Free Palestine” and chanting slogans such as “ceasefire now” and “long live Palestine,” brought traffic to a standstill on Highland Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Hollywood. The passionate group then marched down Sunset Boulevard, creating chaos with cars honking and helicopters hovering, while LAPD officers in riot gear kept a close eye on the situation.
By the time the protest reached the intersection of Sunset and Highland, traffic had been blocked for more than 20 minutes, leaving some high-profile celebrities en route to the Oscars red carpet stranded in their city cars. The Hollywood Reporter noted that attendees took matters into their own hands, with some abandoning their vehicles and walking toward the ceremony. Others reportedly received rides to the event in golf carts provided by the Academy.
A smaller group of protesters also gathered closer to the Dolby Theatre, where the awards ceremony was taking place. Anthony Bryson, an organizer of one of the protests, expressed the importance of occupying the global spotlight during the Academy Awards, stating: “With people from all over the world watching the Academy Awards, this is an opportunity for a Hail Mary. What is happening in Gaza should draw attention to this. We wanted to bring as much resistance and visibility as possible.”
Laura Delhauer, a filmmaker who took part in the protest, expressed her dismay at the situation, saying: “It breaks my heart to know that our hard-earned tax dollars will pay for the killing of innocent citizens.” He hoped the demonstration would put pressure on the government to impose a ceasefire.
Film Workers for Palestine and SAG-AFTRA Members for Ceasefire, the groups behind the protests, said on social media, “There will be no awards in the midst of a genocide,” raising awareness of their cause.
According to Deadline, Oscar organizers and city officials were aware of the planned protests and had contingency plans in place to ensure the safety and smooth arrival of celebrities. The Academy, however, gave no official comment on the protests. A senior security official under contract to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences assured: “We know the protesters well. We have a number of backup scripts that we can quickly activate if needed. Working with our partners at the LAPD, we anticipate no problems or delays for our guests and candidates.”
“Oppenheimer” won best picture
Oppenheimerthe hit biopic about the struggle to build the first atomic bomb picked up seven Academy Awards, including the prestigious Best Picture trophy on Sunday, as Hollywood celebrated a triumphant year in cinema.
Irish actor Cillian Murphy won best actor for his role as theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, leader of the 1940s US effort to create a weapon that ended World War II. Oppenheimer Director Christopher Nolan won the Oscar for directing.
“We made a movie about the man who created the atomic bomb, and for better or for worse we live in Oppenheimer’s world,” Murphy said, holding his trophy on stage. “So I’d really like to dedicate this to peacemakers everywhere.”
A three-hour historical drama about science and politics, Oppenheimer became a runaway box office hit, grossing $953.8 million, in addition to widespread critical acclaim. It was the first of Nolan’s films to win Best Picture. The director has previously won acclaim The Dark Knight Batman trilogy, Inception, Souvenir and other movies.
As he accepted his golden statuette, Nolan noted that the movie business was a century old and still evolving. “Knowing that you think I’m an important part of this means the world to me,” she said.
Emma Stone won Best Actress
Emma Stone won best actress for her role as a woman raised from the dead in the dark and wacky comedy Poor. It was the second Oscar for Stone, who won best actress in a musical in 2016 La La Land. “This is really overwhelming,” he said on stage.
The Best Actress race was considered one of the tightest contests with Lily Gladstone in the running Killers of the Flower Moon. Had she prevailed, Gladstone would have been the first Native American to win an acting Oscar.
In the supporting actor categories, Robert Downey Jr Oppenheimer and The Holdovers Starring Da’Vine Joy Randolph won his first Oscar. Downey, who was nominated for an Oscar in 1993 before his career was derailed by drug use, won his honor Sunday for playing Oppenheimer’s professional nemesis Lewis Strauss.
“I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order,” Downey joked before greeting his wife Susan, who said she found him a “lifesaving pet” and “loved him back to life.”
Randolph won Best Supporting Actress for her role as a grieving mother and cafeteria worker in the New England boarding school comedy.
“For so long, I’ve always wanted to be different and now I realize I just have to be myself,” she said. “Thank you for seeing me.” Winners are selected from the approximately 10,500 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
After 2023 was marred by actor and writer strikes, the Oscars gave Hollywood a chance to celebrate two blockbusters. Oppenheimer and Barbiewhich grossed a total of $2.4 billion in theaters and made movies the center of pop culture last summer.
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