Some might think that politics and awards shows don’t mix. However, in a time of global turmoil, it was inevitable that the Oscars would feature political statements. While a few years ago, viewers may have rolled their eyes at actors making impassioned speeches for a cause, 2025 is a very different story. This is especially heightened given that a few days before the Oscars, president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a now infamous visit to the White House with an exchange between him and President Trump getting heated.
For a widely televised event like the Oscars, it was only a matter of time before someone made a statement, and for the 97th Academy Awards, that person was Kill Bill’s Daryl Hannah.
As she took to the stage to hand out the award for Best Film Editing, 64-year-old Daryl Hannah decided to show her support to Ukraine amid the uncertainty over the United States’ tense relationship with the country.
As she took the mic, Daryl said, ‘Slava Ukraine’ which directly translates to ‘Glory to Ukraine’— a reference to the ongoing war. She then handed out the award to Anora’s Sean Baker, his second win of the night.
Although Daryl was the first to vocally acknowledge Ukraine, she wasn’t the only actor who took a stand at the Oscars. Many stars also chose to walk the red-carpet sporting Ukraine pins. 'Conclave' writer Peter Straughan— who took home the award for best adapted screenplay— wore a pin in support of Ukraine, while Brutalist actor Guy Pearce wore a ‘Free Palestine’ pin featuring a white dove and a gold branch.
Host Conan O'Brien also dropped in a swipe about Trump, receiving applause for joking that at least someone from Anora had the balls to go up against a 'powerful Russian'.
Meanwhile, when the makers of No Other Land — Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor— took to the stage to accept the award for Best Documentary, and they too took the opportunity to speak out about the current climate of their country. No Other Land is a self-distributed film about Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community.
Basel Adra began, 'About two months ago I became a father, and my hope to my daughter is that she will not have to live the same life I am living now... No other land reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist as we call on the war to take serious actions to stop the injustice, to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.'
Yuval Abraham said, 'We made this film as Palestinians and Israelis, because together our voices are stronger. We see each other, the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people which must end, Israeli hostages brutally taken in the crime of October 7th which must be freed.
'When I look at Basel, I see a brother, but we are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life and he cannot control. There is a different path, a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both our people.
'And I have to say, as I am here, the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path. And, why? Can't you see that we are intertwined? That my people can be truly safe if Basel's people are truly free and safe. There is another way. It's not too late for life for the living. There is no other way. Thank you.'
Sarah O'Byrne is a writer for Grazia, heat, Closer, Bella, Yours and Crime Monthly. She primarily focuses on celebrity and entertainment news.