Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky not being allowed to speak at the Oscar ceremonies on March 12 raises doubts about the moral viability of the film award organizers. The diplomat said this in an interview with the German newspaper Bild.
“I just want to say this, folks, if you’re going to award a movie about the war and you don’t understand that it’s exactly when you drink champagne, wear beautiful clothes and diamonds, and don’t want to hear the real story of the war. Kuleba said, “The war that is here and now, there is something wrong with you.”
The German film All Quiet on the Western Front, released in 2023 on the Netflix streaming service, was nominated for an Oscar in the category of “Best Foreign Language Film”. The film is based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this book is one of the most famous anti-war works of the 20th century.
Earlier, Variety magazine reported that Zelensky refused to perform at the Oscars. The source said Mike Simpson, a spokesman for the Hollywood agency William Morris Endeavour (WME), applied to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to request time to give Zelensky a video message, but was denied – without making his reasons public.
In 2022, Zelensky’s Oscar nomination was also rejected. According to Variety, the decision was made by award-winning producer Will Packer.
“Hollywood is only interested in Ukraine because the affected party is white,” he said. At the same time, other military conflicts involving people of other races in Los Angeles are “ignored”.
The Ukrainian president gave speeches at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Golden Globe and Grammy award ceremonies last year.
On April 3, 2022, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences showed Zelensky’s video message at the Grammy 3 music award ceremony.
“Support us in any way, do not remain silent, then peace will come to our cities,” said the Ukrainian president. After the video message ended, singer John Legend performed before the audience, accompanied by Ukrainian singers and musicians.
The Cannes Film Festival was not only remembered by Zelensky’s speech. On May 28, in Cannes, they presented the Palm Dog award to the Ukrainian Boss, who was looking for a mine with rescuers.
“Today in Cannes he [Патрону] The Palm Dog Award, the world’s most prestigious film award, is given to four-legged dogs! And since Boss has truly become a world newsreel star in the past few months, the jury unanimously decided that our tailed pyrotechnician was worthy of “Palm” status,” the State Emergency Service said in a statement.