The 98th Academy Awards ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, was characterized by a fast pace, political jokes and some emotional moments in honor of great figures of cinema.
The big winner of the evening was the film "One Battle After Another" (Una battaglia dopo l'altra), the political action comedy from director Paul Thomas Anderson. After 11 unsuccessful nominations in the past, the film managed to win three statues.
The ceremony was hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien and was accompanied by his and Jimmy Kimmel's jokes against Donald Trump, the controversial Jeffrey Epstein files, and restrictions on freedom of expression, where an ironic comparison was even made between the CBS television network and North Korea.
Security was high due to the international situation, with areas blocked off around the theater, while protests against federal immigration police took place both outside and inside the event.
The strongest political message was given by Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who declared from the stage: "No to the illegal war and a free Palestine."
The ceremony also had some very emotional moments. Music and film legend Barbra Streisand remembered her friend Robert Redford by singing the song "The Way We Were." Meanwhile, actor Billy Crystal and other colleagues took the stage to honor director Rob Reiner and his wife, who were killed in December.
In the main categories, the best actor award went to Michael B. Jordan for his role in the film I peccatori. While Irish actress Jessie Buckley won the best actress award for her performance in the film Hamnet, dedicating the award to "the beautiful chaos that is a mother's heart."
One of the moments that drew attention was the absence of Sean Penn, who won the award for best supporting actor, but was not present to receive it in person.
Other winners included the science fiction film Avatar: The Last Airbender for visual effects, while the film Frankenstein won for set design, costumes and makeup.
This year's edition of the Oscars thus became not only a celebration of cinema, but also a reflection of a polarized America, where art, politics, and social debates were intertwined on the same stage.
