Spotlight wins Oscar for best picture in most political Oscars yet
This year the Academy Awards changed the format as well the focus of the Oscars, striving to put an emphasis on storytelling and the filmmaking process. Amidst this attempt to focus on the art of film and celebrate the accomplishments of those involved in the filmmaking process, the focus leaned more towards prevalent political issues. The films nominated for Oscars this year deal with issues that affect society, but by highlighting these very relevant issues the performers, presenters, and host steer the focus away from the film process which the Oscars attempt to emphasize.
Politics regarding this year’s awards were unavoidable amid the controversy that the Oscars privilege white actors over actors of other ethnicities, as not a single black actor or actress was nominated this year. Chris Rock took advantage of this by aptly addressing the controversy in an intelligently written monologue that respectfully addressed the issue without pulling any punches. Throughout the award show Rock poked fun at the lack of black nominees with a pre-taped skit reimagining this year’s Oscar nominated films but with black actors.
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Not just commenting on race, award recipients and presenters in their speeches touched on many of the issues that mark this year’s film selection. Vice President Joe Biden made a powerful speech in his introduction of Lady Gaga’s performance of her song, “Til it Happens to You” from the documentary, advocating for the “It’s On Us” white house campaign. Lady Gaga gave a spectacular and emotionally charged performance of her Oscar nominated song that ended with survivors of sexual assault coming on stage with their arms revealed and marked, sharing their story.
Bear Story won for best animated short, and the collaborators Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala dedicated their Oscar to Chile as this win marks the first time filmmakers from Chile have won an Oscar. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won her second Oscar in the category of best documentary short for her film titled A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, which is about an 18-year-old survivor of an attempted honour killing. In her speech, Obaid-Chinoy spoke of the impact this film has had. For example, the President of Pakistan voiced his opinion after seeing the film, stating his “commitment to rid Pakistan of this evil by bringing in appropriate legislation.” Best foreign film went to Son of Saul, which is the second win for Hungary, and director László Nemes said that the hope of this film is to show how, “Even in the darkest hours of mankind, there might be a voice within us that allows us to remain human.”
In other notable wins; Amy won for best documentary, Stutterer won for best live action short, Inside out won for best animated feature, Enino Morricone won his first Oscar for best original score, Brie Larson won for best actress, Alicia Vikander won for best supporting actress, Mark Rylance won for best supporting actor, Big Short won for best adapted screenplay, Spotlight won for best original screenplay, Emmanuel Lubezki won for best cinematography, and Mad Max: Fury Road won six technical awards.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu won best director for The Revenant—his second win in two years and is the third director to win consecutively. In his speech, he thanked the Native American cast members, and hoped the film presented “a great opportunity to our generation to really liberate ourselves from all prejudice.” The Revenant leading actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, won his first Oscar, and in his speech he raised support for environmental issues and called for action. In a big upset, Spotlight beat The Revenant for best picture award. In their speech the producers commented on the film’s subject matter, saying, “This film gave a voice to survivors and this Oscar amplifies that voice, which we hope will become a choir that will resonate all the way to the Vatican.” Additionally, the film’s producer said, “Pope Francis, it’s time to protect the children and restore the faith.”