The ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza did not go unnoticed at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles: Protesters caused traffic delays, celebrities wore pins to call for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza, and a winner donated even a dedication part of his speech was to highlight the situation in Gaza.
Before the Oscars even began Sunday night, hundreds of protesters marched through Hollywood to highlight what they called “Hollywood's active support of the U.S.-sponsored Israeli genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.”
Organizers said they wanted to “disrupt the Oscars” and “expose retaliation against anyone in the film industry who speaks out against Israel's atrocities and war crimes.”
On the red carpet, celebrities including Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Ava DuVernay and others wore red pins to support a ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza.
Billie Eilish attends the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California.
Eilish and her brother Finneas also wore the pins when they accepted the Oscar for Best Song for “What Was I Made For?”
The pins were created by Artists4Ceasefire, an organization calling for a ceasefire and the safe release of all hostages.
Then, as the show played, Jonathan Glazer, a British filmmaker whose chilling Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest” won best international film, made connections between his film and today's situation.
“Right now we stand here as men who reject their Jewishness and the hostage-taking of the Holocaust by an occupation that has created conflict for so many innocent people, be it the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing attacks on Gaza. all the sacrifices, this humanization, how can we resist?”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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