At the end of February 2019, millions of people around the globe turned on their television to watch the most well-known and prestigious Award Show of the year: The Oscars. The most talented actresses and actors from Hollywood and other places of the world gathered to honor yet another fabulous and inspiring year in the film industry including the release of movies like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “The Green Book”, “Roma” and many more.
It was not just a celebration of the film industry, but also of ethnic diversity and minority groups.
It was not just a celebration of the film industry, but also of ethnic diversity and minority groups. The winner of the evening was the phenomenal and breathtaking movie “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which presents the success story of the band Queen as well as the life of frontman Freddie Mercury. It is inspiring to see that, after years of criticism for the Academy Award, they are more open to diversity. The most celebrated movie of the year was about the career of an openly gay man. Another successful movie with ten nominations was “The Favourite”, which follows the life of the lesbian Queen Anne. Three Academy Awards were also rewarded to the Marvel movie “Black Panther”, which tells the story of an African hero. A movie, where the majority of actresses and actors are of Afro-American origin. This is what I call progress in the film industry.
Ethnic diversity was also visible in the choice of Best Actresses and Actors:
Olivia Colman is officially not only a Queen in a movie but with her win of “Best Actress” for her role of Queen Anne in “The Favourite” also the Queen of Hollywood. Besides her big win at the Oscars, she was also able to win 51 Awards including four BAFTA Awards, four British Independent Film Awards, and two Golden Globes during her career in film and television. The British Actress from Norwich is also famous for her stunning portrayal of Carol Thatcher in the Academy Award-winning film “The Iron Lady” alongside Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent. She is not only an inspiring woman on screen but also off-screen, as she is involved in several charitable activities. In 2014, Olivia Colman became the Patron of the UK charity Tender, which teaches children and young adults about the avoidance of violence and sexual abuse through theatre and arts. Furthermore, she is also the Patron of Anthony Nolan, which is a charity concerning blood cancer.
“And any girl who’s practicing her speech on the telly, you never know. I used to work as a cleaner, and I loved that job, but I did spend quite a lot of my time imagining this.”
During her acceptance speech, she has also revealed that she has once worked as a cleaner. It demonstrates once again that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their dreams and goals if you keep fighting for them even though the way to success is never easy. Especially inspiring is her appeal to young girls watching the show: “And any girl who’s practicing her speech on the telly, you never know. I used to work as a cleaner, and I loved that job, but I did spend quite a lot of my time imagining this.” What an encouraging and inspirational woman!
Regina King, an Afro-American woman, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “If Beale Street Could Talk”, where she took the role of a mother defending her daughter’s boyfriend, who has been wrongly accused of rape. This movie represents the strength of a mother and her unconditional love for their child. Every mother on the planet, if famous or not, young or old, rich or poor would sacrifice everything for their own flesh and blood. In the late 1990s, Regina King has become an A-list celebrity due to her roles in big Hollywood Movies including “Jerry Maguire”, “Enemy of the State” and “Ray”. However, this strong woman decided to go back to just being an actress on television so that her son had a more comfortable upbringing. If this is not a massive sacrifice from her mother for her son, then I don’t know what is.
The Oscar for Best Actor was presented to first-generation American Rami Malek, who has been part of the biographical movie “Bohemian Rhapsody”. His award-winning role of Freddie Mercury has made Malik to an A-list celebrity in Hollywood. Before taking on that role, he has appeared in supporting roles like in “Night at the Museum”, where he played Akhmenrah as well as his role of Egyptian coven-vampire Benjamin in the Twilight Saga.
Another fortunate winner was Mahershala Ali, who has won his second Academy Award this year. The Afro-American “Green Book”-actor won another Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2016, making him the first Muslim actor who has ever won an Academy Award.
Hopefully, the board of the Academy Awards will have the same point of view towards diversity in the upcoming years and decades, because diversity is equality.
And the Oscar goes to:
2019 Oscar for Best Actress
Olivia Colman – The Favourite
2019 Oscar for Best Actor
Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody
2019 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
Regina King — If Beale Street Could Talk
2019 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali – Green Book
2019 Oscar for Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón – Roma 2019 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
2019 Oscar for Best Documentary – Feature
Free Solo – Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill
2019 Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Vice – Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney
2019 Oscar for Best Costume Design
Black Panther – Ruth E. Carter
2019 Oscar for Best Production Design
Black Panther – Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Jay Hart
2019 Oscar for Best Cinematography
Roma – Alfonso Cuarón
2019 Oscar for Best Sound Editing
Bohemian Rhapsody – John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone
2019 Oscar for Best Sound Mixing
Bohemian Rhapsody – Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali
2019 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film
Roma (Mexico) in Spanish and Mixtec – Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
2019 Oscar for Best Film Editing
Bohemian Rhapsody – John Ottman
2019 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
2019 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film
Bao – Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb
2019 Oscar for Best Documentary – Short Subject
Period. End of Sentence. – Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton
2019 Oscar for Best Visual Effects
First Man – Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J. D. Schwalm
2019 Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film
Skin – Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman
2019 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay
Green Book – Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly
2019 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay
BlacKkKlansman – Screenplay by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
2019 Oscar for Best Original Score
Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson
2019 Oscar for Best Original Song
“Shallow” from A Star Is Born – Music and Lyrics by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt
2019 Oscar for Best Picture
Green Book – Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga
