The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer was the first to address the war in Gaza during his Oscars acceptance speech.
The UK film, which depicts the banality of evil that existed just outside the walls of Auschwitz, took home the Best International Film award and Glazer used his acceptance speech to point out how the movie’s themes echo some of today’s headlines. “Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst,” he said.
“Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people,” he continued. “Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization—how do we resist?”
Protests against Israel’s occupation of Gaza caused Sunday’s ceremony to start five minutes late, as pro-Palestine demonstrators blocked traffic to the event and many attendees had to be shuttled via golf cart, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Several stars including Billie Eilish, Ava DuVernay, and Ramy Youssef wore red pins to the ceremony to call for a cease-fire.
