Oscars 2024 Speeches: From Jonathan Glazer’s Plea for Gaza to Justine Trier’s ‘Mid-life Crisis’

Oscars 2024 Speeches: When you hold the capability of impacting the audience make sure you make the optimum use of it. Well, the winners of the Oscars trophy at the 96th Academy Awards made sure their winning speech was as powerful as their victory. Many actors/ filmmakers received their first Oscar trophy, and the excitement could be seen in their voices. Nevertheless, the first time or multiple times, the level of adrenaline rush always shoots up when receiving a top honor like the Oscars. While some used the Adacmey podium to plea for the Gaza victims, some showed their gratitude towards the honor.

What were the Actors/Filmmakers’ words on receiving the Oscars Trophy?

Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer received the Best International Feature Oscar for “The Zone Of Interest.” While accepting the award, the filmmaker shed light on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Reading from a written statement, Glazer said,

“Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It’s shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October – whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanisation, how do we resist?”

Film producer Jim Wilson’s words echoed Glazer, as he also referenced the conflict in his speech at the Baftas.

Meanwhile, the director of the Ukraine conflict documentary 20 Days In Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov, showed gratitude for his win but he added,

“I will be the first director on this stage who will say I wish I never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities. I wish to give all the recognition to Russia not killing tens of thousands of my fellow Ukrainians.”

While receiving his adapted screenplay award for American Fiction, Cord Jefferson advocated for more low-budget films. He said:

“It’s a plea to acknowledge and recognise that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given. I understand that this is a risk-averse industry. I get it. But $200m movies are also a risk, you know. And it doesn’t always work out, but you take the risk anyway. Instead of making one $200m movie, try making 20 $10m movies or 50 – right? – 50 $4m movies.”

 

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Justine Triet earned the Oscars for the original screenplay award for “Anatomy Of A Fall” alongside co-writer and husband Arthur Harari. While receiving the trophy, she said the Oscar would “help me through my mid-life crisis, I think.”

Reflecting on the toil she went through to finish the script, she added, “Being stuck in the house with two kids. It was a lockdown. And we hook them up to cartoons for peace. And, yeah, there was no line, I think, between work and diapers.”

The inaugural Oscar winner, Cillian Murphy, won Best Actor for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s film “Oppenheimer.” On receiving the trophy, he himself said, “I am a very proud Irish man standing here tonight,” and dedicated the film to “the peacemakers everywhere.”

Robert Downey Jr., who finally managed to take home the Oscars trophy after several years of hard work in the industry, quipped, “I would like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order.” He also said, “I needed this job more than it needed me.”

He won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Lewis Strauss, the primary antagonist, in “Oppenheimer.”

The Award for Best Actress went to Emma Stone for “Poor Things,” marking her second Oscar win. She was flustered during her speech, admitting that she’d broken her dress during Ryan Gosling’s performance of ‘I’m Just Ken.’

Amidst everything, how can anyone forget to thank their dear ones for their support throughout? Actress Da’vine Joy Randolph, who is the winner of the best supporting actress category, paid tribute to her mother in her speech. She thanked her for pushing her towards theatre when she was young instead of singing. She added: “For so long, I’ve always wanted to be different, and now I realize I just need to be myself. And I thank you. I thank you for seeing me.”

In the final speech of the night, Oppenheimer producer Emma Thomas, collecting the best picture prize, paid special tribute to Imax and other venues.

“I want to thank [CEO] Rich Gelfond at Imax and everybody else at Imax for believing in this movie when it maybe didn’t make that much sense to do so. Thank you to all the theatres. As a moviegoer and as a filmmaker, that’s why we do what we do.”