A night at the Oscars: cinema in a changing world
The 97th edition of the Academy Awards took place on Sunday in Los Angeles, with Oscars being presented to what were deemed to be the best films, filmmakers and actors of the last year from Hollywood's perspective. Europe's press comments on the atmosphere and the winners – which this time included a moving animated feature from Latvia.
Fear of Trump triumphs
This year's Oscars ceremony was compartively apolitical, The Guardian comments - and examines why:
“Where, exactly, is the dissent? Why aren't people screaming? ... The takeaway is that, in Hollywood as elsewhere, people are scared, not only because Trump is petty and vindictive but also because the vast uncertainty of the world we're suddenly in can make judicious silence seem more sensible than speeches. Where that tips into capitulation - and whether Hollywood, like the tech and media industries, will give us our era's version of Leni Riefenstahl - remains to be seen.”
Hollywood applauds itself
Tygodnik Powszechny, by contrast, criticises the social touch of the ceremony as hypocritical:
“It's no surprise that people watched this year's ceremony for the most coveted awards in the film industry with such suspicion and anticipation, looking for any sign of a 'stance'. Every mention of the world beyond the red carpet - be it about the brave Californian firefighters who were also present on the stage, someone's migration background or the anonymous hands at work behind every film production - was greeted with thunderous applause. The ovations were like a fig leaf at a naked party, where Hollywood celebrated its own glories as always, especially those of the past.”
Faith in a better future
The Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis won the Oscar for best animated feature with "Flow". On ERR Online, film critic Kaspar Viilup examines the film against the backdrop of today's geopolitical context:
“At a time when even the most optimistic among us are beginning to lose hope, we must cling to every straw within reach. ... Let's drown out foolishness and restore faith in a better tomorrow - because if the Latvians can win an Oscar, then truly, anything is possible. ... Let's take a moment to recall what happened in 'Flow': the animals had to stick together because the humans were gone. The world depicted in the film was eerily similar to our own, yet some great, unexplained catastrophe had turned everything upside down.”
A glimmer of hope for the Middle East
Politiken is delighted that the award for best documentary went to the Palestinian-Israeli film "No Other Land":
“It was made by both Israeli and Palestinian directors, despite all the growing divides. There is an alternative path to war, and it leads through collaboration like that which produced 'No Other Land'. One of the tragedies of the conflict is that Israelis and Palestinians know less and less about each other. ... Despite its horrific images, 'No Other Land' offers a glimpse of a future where Israelis and Palestinians fight together - against injustice and for a world in which both peoples are free.”