Awareness of social movements, female empowerment, no-shows. These are our guesses.
The biggest night in the cinematic industry is soon approaching. The Academy Awards, known as the Oscars, will air their 90th edition on Sunday, March 4, 2018. With other award ceremonies have been the stage for powerful political and social stands, one can only wonder what will happen on such an important evening for the stars and for the public.
Even though producers of the show have already stated that the main focus of the night will be the films, ABC’s president of entertainment Channing Dungey added that the Time’s Up movement will be heard. At the Golden Globes Awards last month, in solidarity with movements that fight against sexual harassment and injustice in the business, celebrities wore black and used their speeches as great amplifiers for manifests and values. Activists were also guests of many celebrities at the Globes and helped raise awareness for the movements.
Here are our burning questions and guesses:
Will there be a united standing in support of social movements?
So far, in 2018, networks have aired six different award shows (including film, music and television) and out of all of them, the Golden Globes Awards have received a much larger and louder show of support and protest. Given its size and acknowledgement in comparison with the rest, it is easy to understand why the participants chose that date to dress in black and speak their minds about the matter. The Academy Awards, however, represent Hollywood’s biggest night – so there is no doubt people are going to use the significance and outreach of the show to enhance their opinions on different social and political subjects.
Will there be no-shows?
Involved in scandals and controversies, last year’s nominee and winner Casey Affleck was not affectionately welcome by the public and was greatly criticized online. This year, a source revealed that the actor will not be attending the show.
At the beginning of the year, yet another actor was accused of sexual misconduct. After a brilliant performance in his movie “The Disaster Artist”, James Franco did consider attending the ceremony but was advised otherwise.
Who will be the big winner?
Every person has their own personal opinion about who should and will Best Picture. Out of all the nominees (Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) some stand out for the impressive number of nominations. “The Shape of Water” leads with 13 nominations, followed by “Dunkirk” with eight.
Although it would be groundbreaking to watch director Jordan Peele up on the stage, the favouritism towards movie “The Shape of Water” is undeniable. (This writer, however, is still rooting for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
Regardless of the events happening on the nights of March 4, 2018, Hollywood has already won. Creative and delightful screenplays with outstanding performances and actors, directors and celebrities standing up for justice is a big win.