Celebrities at the 96th Academy Awards were seen wearing red pins symbolising the call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
These pins represent the stars’ support to Artists4Ceasefire — an open letter signed by celebrities and people from the entertainment industry, urging US President Biden to call for a ceasefire.
The signatories near 400 which include Bradley Cooper and America Ferrera, who are both Oscar nominees this year, as well as Cate Blanchett, Drake, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
“We’re all calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for the safety of everyone involved. We really want lasting justice and peace for the Palestinian people,” Guardian quotes Ramy Youssef from an interview at the red carpet. “We really just want to say, ‘let’s just stop killing children.’ There’s so much there to process and it feels like the easiest way to have the conversations that people want to have is when they’re isn’t an active bombing campaign happening.”
As social media users and human rights activists put out a loud chorus to end the genocide in Palestine, celebrities are also adding their voice. According to Variety, a group of 55 actors which included A-list celebrities like Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, Joaquin Phoenix and Riz Ahmed, have signed an open letter demanding US President Biden to call a ceasefire in Gaza.
The letter includes celebrities like Ayo Edebiri, Muslim comedian and host behind Netflix’s ‘Patriot Act’ Hasan Minhaj, Jeremy Strong, Jessica Chastain, Jon Stewart, Sandra Oh and veteran Hollywood legend Susan Sarandon.
The letter demanded from Joe Biden to open his eyes to the current destruction and chaos in Gaza: “More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.”
“We urge your administration,” the letter further states. “And all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.”
The statement also quotes UNICEF spokesperson James Elder who condemned the misuse of international law on how Gazan civilians are stripped of their basic necessities and are living within destruction.
“‘Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines…. The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.’ – UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.”
The letter ends with the signatories calls for everyone to stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people. “We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.’”
Malala has managed to become an irreplaceable part of national discourse. She hasn’t said anything controversial aside from speaking up on causes close to her heart – gender activism and education – yet the women-hating awaam loves nit-picking every bit of her existence and somehow escalating it to the point that it becomes an emergency national topic. If she laughs too much, shame. Did she say she doesn’t want to get married? Lanat behjo. Malala was spotted celebrating Holi with her friends? Publicly shame her.
Once again without even lifting a finger, Malala was dragged into the public spotlight over the most simple thing: her accent. A video on Twitter went viral where she was seen speaking to a host at the Oscars, and in the caption a user was mocking the Noble Prize activist for having lived in Britain all this time, but still having a Pakistani accent.
Behen ji, would you have not criticised her had she spoken in a British accent? Had she shown up wearing a sleeveless gown and no hijab, would Pakistanis hold back for a second to label her as a traitor, bane of our existence and the reason why women in this country have gone astray? And when did speaking in a fluent British accent become one of the ways to judge aNoble Prize winner? It certainly never has held her back.
Amreeka mein reh kr b, Aik British elite se shaadi kr k b agar Apki angrezi Itni pathetic hai to laanat hai bai Aisi “Training” per ! And idc how many haters I get after this !pic.twitter.com/43lFK7dJ4q
Putting aside the obvious racism that is reeking from this comment, when was the last time the public didn’t drag Malala? If she chooses not to get married: she’s a traitor who is challenging Pakistani values. When she did get married: she betrayed feminist values. Why can’t she ever win with Pakistanis?
Because the simple truth to the entire matter is that our ever firmly anti-woman Bannistan considers hunting famous women a beloved public sport. And Malala is simply forced to bear the brunt of misogynist and racist jokes because she managed to overcome the dead woman trope and is living a complete and happy life in Britain with the rest of her family. When she was fourteen years old, Malala had been shot by the Taliban when she stood up to their regressive stance against girl’s education, and soon had to leave for Britain with the rest of her family because of the death threats she was being sent. Had she not survived this tragedy and had passed away, the country would have declared they are holding ‘Malala Day’ once a year and moaned about how she could have become something had there been a chance, and then moved on to hunting the next famous woman out there.
Malala’s biggest crime isn’t the fact that she wore jeans or got married or even spoke in a Pakistani accent: it’s the fact that she is thriving despite the most powerful forces out there trying their best to take her down. Whether it was the Taliban, or the brutal treatment of Pakistani awaam, we have heard tragedies on a daily basis of the numerous women and girls who lost their lives and their dreams to these two forces. Malala happened to succeed in defeating them, and living peacefully abroad with her goals still intact and remaining cheerful as ever is what irks us so much.
So please, for the love of Allah. We’re on our knees here. Stop obsessing over Malala so much. She won’t give up on doing what she loves, regardless of how much you beg her to do so. Divert the nitpicking to issues like climate change, poverty and political instability. Trust us, its a much more worthy way to waste your time.
There was a wholesome moment at the Oscars when Harrison Ford stepped up to announce the Best Picture award, and the winner was ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’. A viral clip of the moment shows Ke Huy Quan and Ford hugging each other on the stage as the team walked up to receive their award.
It is perhaps not well known that this pivotal moment between Quan and Ford is much more significant than it seems because the two actors had worked together in ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’, Quan’s debut Hollywood project.
Quan had starred as the popular archaeologist’s tiny side kick, Short Round, who helped him find an ancient stone in India which had been stolen by an evil priest. Speaking about his experience in ‘Temple of Doom’, Quan regarded it as one of the happiest moments of his life because he had been able to travel to Sri Lanka.
After the success of the film, Quan went on to act in television series like ‘Together We Stand’, but chose to leave Hollywood as he wasn’t getting any roles that weren’t racist or stereotyped.
It was only after the success of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ that Quan decided to venture back in to acting. Hiring a friend as an agent, he came across the script for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ and recalled to the Telegraph that he laughed a lot while reading the script: “I laughed so hard and I cried so hard and I told my wife, ‘I think this role was written for me.’”
After watching the Academy Awards last night, twitter users are furious at host Jimmy Kimmel after he had an awkward interaction with Nobel Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafzai.
First calling her ‘Malalaland’ at the ceremony, Kimmel then asked her opinion on whether Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine at the premier of All My Darlings.
To which the Pakistani-origin activist had responded: ‘I only talk about peace”
Jimmy Kimmel awkwardly asks Nobel Peace prize winner Malala about Harry Styles getting spit on pic.twitter.com/q8LZLedtOc
Twitter users called Kimmel ‘racist’ for using the word ‘Malalaland’ and called him a horrible host. He was also branded insensitive for undermining the work of brown women by also having previously tried to tamper with Quinta Brunson’s speech while she was was receiving the award for ‘Best Writing in Comedy’ at the Oscars.
Hollywood’s biggest night of the year was dominated by Asians, with some of the biggest global celebrities like Deepika Padukone, activist Malala Yousafzai, and Michelle Yeoh lending their star power to the Oscars.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the show and of course, addressed the Will Smith-Chris Rock slapping controversy from last year’s ceremony. Kimmel started his monologue by saying, “If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence, you will be awarded for Best Actor and permitted a 19-minute speech.”
#Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel comments on the Oscar slap from last year:
“If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence, you will be awarded for Best Actor and permitted a 19-minute speech.” pic.twitter.com/KK6adMCmoF
Yeoh’s speech moved social media users to tears for encouraging women to never think they are past their prime for achieving their dreams:
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams do come true. Ladies don’t let anyone tell you that you’re past your prime.”
Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
“My journey started on a boat. I ended up in a refugee camp … They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream!” – Ke Huy Quan #Oscarspic.twitter.com/eyGbfwgLhX
Quan and Yeoh made history as the first time two Asian-American actors had won one of the big four awards at the Academy Awards in the same year. In his speech, he said, “My mom is 84 years old, she’s at home watching. Mom- I just won an Oscar! My journey started on a boat. I ended up in a refugee camp…They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream!”
Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
Riz Ahmed may have lost the Oscar Award for Best Actor to Anthony Hopkins but he walked away with the best red carpet appearance when he took a moment to fix his wife Fatima Farheen Mirza’s hair. Ahmed had revealed in January that he had tied the knot in secret a few months back.
In a video that went viral on social media, the couple can be seen walking in together and as the photographers clicked their pictures, Riz paused for a moment to make sure his wife’s hair looked perfect. Ahmed’s act won the hearts of audiences across the world and they started hailing the couple as “relationship goals”.
The British-Pakistani actor was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role of a drummer who loses his hearing in the Sound of Metal.
In addition to winning hearts with his romantic gesture on the red carpet, Ahmed also made history at this year’s Oscars as the first Muslim nominee in the Best Actor category. He was up against Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sir Anthony Hopkins for The Father, Gary Oldman for Mank, and Steven Yeun for Minari. Hopkins eventually took home the award.
Meanwhile, Sound of Metal bagged two awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound.
The 93rd Academy Awards were held on April 25, (April 26 PST) in Los Angeles at multiple locations: Dolby Theatre, where it has been traditionally hosted since 2001, and Union Station. Only the nominees, their guests and the ceremony’s presenters were allowed inside the hall due to coronavirus restrictions.
The event began with a movie-style opening credits sequence, as Regina King strode into the venue clutching a gold statuette.
“Live TV, here we go. Welcome to the 93rd Oscars!” she said. “And, yes, we are doing it maskless… people have been vaxxed, tested, re-tested, socially distanced.”
This year’s Oscars arrived at their Union Station venue two months late due to the pandemic — organisers have said it would have been “impossible” without the delay.
Before the show, stars paused briefly for pictures and socially distanced interviews on what organisers called a “teeny-tiny red carpet.”
An honourary award for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, which has supported struggling actors and crew particularly during the pandemic, was awarded at the Oscars’ traditional Hollywood theater base. Black entertainment mogul Tyler Perry was also honored.
But the bulk of the awards were handed out at the 1930s-built Union Station, chosen for its grand scale and outdoor courtyards, where white tents sheltering everything from Covid testing booths to catering were installed.
“We’re here, isn’t it crazy?” said Ahmed. “Human beings in the flesh!”
While The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences remembered late actors Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Chadwick Boseman and other stars in the 93rd Academy Awards.
The late stars were honoured for their services to the cinema industry in the ‘In Memoriam’ sequence during the award show with Stevie Wonder’s song ‘As’ in the background.
The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee has selected Sarmad Khoosat’sZindagi Tamasha as Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars.
According to a press release, the film will be submitted for Oscar consideration in the ‘International Feature Film Award’ category for the 93rd Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will choose the final nominees for all award categories including International Feature Film in February 2021. The complete and final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on 15th March 2021 with the presentation show for the 93rd Academy Awards scheduled to take place on 25th April 2021.
Directed and co-produced by Khoosat and written by Nirmal Bano, Zindagi Tamasha features Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi in the lead roles. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a secret of Khawaja’s is leaked.
The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”
Speaking about the selection, Sarmad said: “All the heartache that Zindagi Tamasha gave me has somehow restored my faith in the power of art too: the sheer, almost physical power of art to make life imitate it. This announcement, for me, is a very bright light shining at the end of this dark tunnel of a year.”
“I made this film in Pakistan and foremost, for Pakistan, for my people and the misfortune that my people have remained deprived of it weighs quite heavy on my artistic conscience. Some pride is slowly kicking in though and no matter how far we go with this official selection, Zindagi Tamasha will be representing all of us – our ‘Pakistan’,” he added.
The Oscar committee for 2020 was chaired by two-time Academy Award and Emmy winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and included musician Faisal Kapadia, director Asad-ul-Haq, filmmakers Asim Abbasi and Hamza Bangash, Syed Muhammad Ahmed, Mehwish Hayat, Hasan Shehreyar Yasin, Arshad Mahmud and Jamal Shah.
Asim, who directed the critically acclaimed Churails, said: “For me, Zindagi Tamasha is the strongest submission from Pakistan since 2013.”
For me, Zindagi Tamasha is the strongest submission from Pakistan since 2013. Grateful to have been on the committee & to have seen this film, memories of which still haunt me, weeks after. Kudos to Sarmad and team! https://t.co/fJSGral5nQ
It is pertinent to add here that Zindagi Tamasha has had a bumpy ride. It was initially scheduled to hit screens on January 25 this year but immense backlash from religious circles forced the federal and provincial government to stop its release.
While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government had directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, no screening has taken place to date. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.
At that point, Sarmad had made a heartfelt appeal to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.
Later, Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had taken notice of the ban and said that the committee will review the film. In July, the committee cleared the film and allowed it to be screened post-COVID-19.
Senate HR committee has unanimously agreed with Censor board’s decision to allow screening of movie “zindagi tamasha”. We’ve found nothing wrong with it. Censor board has our go ahead to release post Covid. Detail reasoning to follow later.
— Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar (@mustafa_nawazk) July 14, 2020
Zindagi Tamasha premiered at the Busan International Film Festival held in October 2019 where it also won the prestigious Kim Ji Seok Award.
