The Oscars gala this Sunday brings a tight fight in the category of best film, has several records at stake and includes some controversial changes aimed at winning back the audience at home.
These are the six moments to notice in the ceremony:
– Ukraine –
The delicate balance of introducing the war in Ukraine at a gala in which millionaires present each other with golden statuettes was difficult for the producers of the ceremony.
Host Amy Schumer proposed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a former actor, speak remotely at the gala.
But the producer of the night Will Packer preferred not to comment on the subject when questioned at a press conference, while Wanda Sykes, another of the gala’s hostesses, ironized: "Isn’t he busy right now?".
But the show will refer to Ukraine in a way "organic" and "respectful"Sykes said. The night’s winners are also expected to mention the Russian invasion in their speeches.
– Oscar real vs. Twitter Oscar –
The producers of the Oscar awards incorporated two awards this year to give film fans space to choose their favorite film, and the "happiest moment" of a tape.
Although not a formal Academy Award, the "fan favorite" generated controversy. Some voices claimed that the prizes "real" are forced to give up space to "Twitter Oscar".
"Not just any Twitter user is going to hand Meryl Streep an Oscar! That’s not what’s going to happen"Packer commented.
How the fan prizes will be handed out and how receptive this experiment will be remains to be seen.
But on previous occasions Packer has said that the biggest night in movies feels like a very secretive club. "Sometimes the gala feels like ‘it’s just us, it’s just Hollywood. No one else has been invited’"has said.
"This year we wanted to be a little more open in our relationship with the public".
– Birthday Classics –
The 94th Academy Awards will not only honor this year’s nominated productions, but also timeless classics such as "The Godfather"who turned 50 this week.
"We’ll have the Francis Ford Coppola classic. We will honor him. We have some surprises with this"said producer Will Packer.
Packer also hinted that the gala would include "60 years of James Bond". The first installment of the 007 tapes, "The Satanic Dr. No"was released in 1962.
An advance is the presentation of the American singer Billie Eilish, who is going to interpret the song of "no time to die"the most recent film in the series.
– Women’s power –
The director of "the power of the dog"Jane Campion, recently said that it was time to "claim a sense of triumph" by opening paths in Hollywood for women.
Sunday’s gala could raise that argument even further. Campion, one of the favorites of the night, could become the third director to win in Oscar history, a year after Chole Zhao became the second with "Nomadland".
Even more impressive is that in almost a century of history, its director of photography, Ari Wegner, is the second woman nominated in a male-dominated category.
– Anita’s encore –
Don Corleone, the patriarch of "The Godfather"the Joker, Batman’s arch-rival, and Anita, a Puerto Rican immigrant from "Love without barriers"They don’t seem to have anything in common.
But if Ariana DeBose wins the Oscar for best supporting actress this Sunday, as expected, it will be another rare moment in which two interpreters take home a golden statuette for embodying the same fictional character.
Robert De Niro won his first Academy Award for playing in "The Godfather II" the younger version of the mob boss who also gave Marlon Brando an Oscar. Already Joaquin Phoenix conquered the voters starring "Joker"after Heath Ledger won the posthumous award for the same role but in "Batman – The Dark Knight".
– Bruno-no-no –
Lin-Manuel Miranda disputes the Oscar for the best song with "two caterpillars"which will be performed by the Colombian Sebastián Yatra at the gala.
But after becoming a viral social media hit, "We Don’t Talk About Bruno" ("There is no mention of Bruno"), also composed for the soundtrack of the Disney animated film "Charm"the catchy song will be performed for the first time by the cast of the film live.
The Caribbean-rhythm hit tells the story of Bruno, the black sheep of the Madrigal clan, spawned over a million TikTok videos and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, becoming Disney’s most popular song.
"If there’s one song that brings people together this year, it’s the kind of thing movies can do."Packer said, recalling that the song has been sung endlessly around the world.
"Let’s help them sing it a little more. We apologize to the parents in advance."he added.