Volodymyr Zelensky will not speak at the Oscars. Variety reports on a rejected request by the Ukrainian President to be connected virtually to the award ceremony. The Academy gave no reason. However, the industry magazine cites anonymous sources, according to which Will Packer, the show’s producer, spoke about why he didn’t pay the Ukrainian president last year airtime wanted to give: Both warring parties are white, earlier conflicts outside the western world had not received the appropriate attention. Instead, last year the show included a minute’s silence for victims of the conflict.
For Zelensky, it would have been the highlight of a virtual tour through the most important events in the film industry. He spoke at the Cannes Film Festival last year, saying there that “if there is a war for freedom”, everything depends on “unity” again, and he also sees the film industry as having a duty; then at the Venice Festival; most recently at the Berlinale, where he said in front of an audience bathed in yellow and blue light that art must make a decision, “does it speak out against evil or do it help it”. At the Golden Globes he promised that there would be no third world war, Ukraine would prevent it. Again and again there were voices that criticized that appeals for art to be partial had no place at film festivals and honor ceremonies in the industry.
For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky tries in many ways to establish connections to the film industry. His former press spokeswoman Julija Mendel writes in her book “The Fight of Our Lives” that, as a former actor, Zelensky appreciates the power of actors, “especially from Hollywood”.
On the night of February 24, 2022, when the Russian raid began and the first rockets hit Kiev, Zelensky sat down in front of the camera of a film team led by actor and director Sean Penn, who wanted to make a documentary about him. It premiered at the Berlinale under the title “Superpower”. Sean Penn was so impressed by Zelenskiy that he later presented him with one of his Oscars – on loan until victory over Russia. In return, Penn received a medal of merit from him for efforts to improve the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The fact that the organizers of the Oscars, which were awarded on Monday night, are skeptical about paying special attention to a war in Europe also reflects the political reorientation of the Academy. The filmmakers’ association that hosts the show has welcomed numerous new members in recent years, many of them from countries outside the USA or from marginalized groups, after criticism for a lack of diversity. The proportion of women should also be increased.