Film Awards
Warming up for Oscar night – the red carpet is ready
Christian Friedel and Sandra Hülser come to the traditional reception of the German Oscar candidates in the historic Villa Aurora in Pacific Palisades. photo
© Barbara Munker/dpa
Non-stop program at the Oscar countdown with receptions and parties: the German Oscar nominees are also celebrating. The red carpet is ready for the 96th Academy Awards.
She was very happy to be here, said Hülser – in English – in front of hundreds of guests. And she is really looking forward to where she will be tomorrow. “Maybe I’ll go,” joked the 45-year-old. Of course, she’ll be at the 96th Academy Awards Sunday night.
The Leipzig-based actress is in the running for best leading actress with her leading role in the French legal drama “Anatomy of a Case”. There is also a supporting role in “The Zone of Interest” as the wife of the concentration camp commander Rudolf Höß (Christian Friedel). Both films are nominated for five Oscars each.
A serenade for Christian Friedel
You can tell that Hülser doesn’t like being in the spotlight. She quickly brings her actor colleague Christian Friedel onto the stage to reinforce her. There is a “Happy Birthday” serenade for him. The actor from Magdeburg celebrated his 45th birthday on Saturday.
“The Zone of Interest”, directed by Brit Jonathan Glazer, revolves around the everyday life of the Höß family, who live right next to the Auschwitz concentration camp. In the USA, many people wanted to talk about the film, and he was also often asked about his film partner Hülser, Friedel told the German Press Agency. She left an “incredibly stark” impression here. “Sandra has worked so hard for this with her down-to-earth nature, her cleverness, her incredible changeability, her incredible talent. And I just think it’s great that she is now being recognized like that.”
The Berlin director Ilker Çatak (40) is on stage in the Villa Aurora with his large team. His school drama “The Teacher’s Room” is in the running in the “International Film” category. Leonie Benesch (32) plays a committed teacher who wants to solve a series of thefts and comes under pressure from all sides.
The 14-year-old Leonard Stettnisch can be seen in the main role of the student Oskar, and his father, the South Tyrolean Michael Klemm, also plays. Together they are now looking forward to the Oscar night, which they will experience in the Dolby Theater. Leonard would like to meet “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy there. “I love the way he plays,” enthused the Berlin teenager. This is his first trip to Los Angeles, it’s nice and warm and they’re going to the Oscars. “Of course it’s sensational, so it’s the jackpot,” said Leonard, who is making his film debut in “The Teacher’s Room.”
Oscar final spurt
Until the very end, the nominees moved from one event to the next. Shortly before the Oscar gala, he was still calm, but the tiredness had increased, said director Çatak with a wink.
78-year-old Wim Wenders is also there for the Oscar final spurt. The German directing legend had already been nominated for a documentary Oscar three times, but always came away empty-handed. Now he is competing for Japan in the “International Film” category with his poetic film “Perfect Days” about a toilet cleaner in Tokyo – like Çatak. The two emphasized how much they appreciated each other’s film. They also believe that none of them will win the foreign Oscar. In this category, the film industry is betting on “The Zone of Interest”.
With 13 nominations, the film “Oppenheimer” is this year’s Oscar favorite, the grotesque comedy “Poor Things” received 11 nominations, and “Killers of the Flower Moon” has 10 chances of winning ahead of “Barbie” with 8.
In front of the Dolby Theater, where the guests were supposed to walk across the red Oscar carpet on Sunday evening (local time), the decorations continued until the very end. Television crews practiced the routine for Hollywood’s big night with extras. US comedian Jimmy Kimmel will be the host for the fourth time. Numerous stars were announced in advance as presenters. Al Pacino, Christoph Waltz, Ryan Gosling, Ariana Grande, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Pfeiffer, among others, will be on stage as helpers.