Oscars 2024 celebrates cinematic achievements and shines light on Gaza crisis: Have a closer look

The brutal Israel-Hamas conflict has been raging on since October 7. The 96th Annual Academy Awards, held on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, represented a night for celebrating cinematic achievements and a platform for Middle East peace.

Several of those attending the annual event had put on the “Artists4Ceasefire” pin, calling attention to the continuing violence and advocating for de-escalation and ceasefire to bring an end to a concerning humanitarian crisis.

The circular red pin stands for “collective support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all of the hostages and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” as per the Artists4Ceasefire group, reported The National.

“Using our voices to speak to people’s hearts”

Numerous celebrities supported the initiative, indicating their commitment to use their enormous visibility for pressing global causes. The pins conveyed a message of unity and the urgent need for humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed, American director Ava DuVernay and actor Mark Ruffalo, besides many others, arrived at the ceremony with the pin. Ramy Youssef, from the surreal comedy ‘Poor Things’, noted the campaign’s message: “It’s about ‘stop killing kids'”.

Youssef emphasised the need for halting violence to make space for healing and justice, adding: “We are using our voices to speak to people’s hearts.” Sister and brother Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell also put on the red pin, supporting the move.

Oscars 2024 winners list delivers surprises

2023’s big blockbuster ‘Oppenheimer‘, directed by Christopher Nolan, took a total of seven awards during the Oscars 2024. Nolan won best director, Cillian Murphy won best actor and Robert Downey Jr won best supporting actor on Sunday.

The film also grabbed awards for best pictures, best cinematography, best original score and best film editing. It nabbed a total of 13 nominations, followed by Poor Things with 11, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ with 10 and ‘Barbie’ with 8.

In a surprise, Emma Stone won best actress for Poor Things, which also received three craft wins, for best costume design, production design, and makeup and hairstyling. She defeated perceived frontrunner Lily Gladstone, who has scooped up several awards for KOTFM.

Find the full list of Oscars 2024 winners here.