LOS ANGELES: Fantastical romance “The Shape of Water” won best picture, the film industry’s most prestigious honor, at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony.
The Fox Searchlight movie’s Mexican filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro, took home the best director Oscar, dashing the hopes of a rare win by a woman or a black filmmaker.
The movie about a mute cleaning woman who falls in love with a strange river creature had gone into the ceremony with a leading 13 nominations, and won a total of four Academy Awards.
As expected, Britain’s Gary Oldman was named best actor for playing World War Two leader Winston Churchill in Warner Bros.’ “Darkest Hour,” while Frances McDormand’s woman in a fury was a popular best actress winner for Fox Searchlight’s dark comedy “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”
Elsewhere, awards were spread around, recognizing first-timers, LGBT movies and films inspired by other cultures.
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel tackled Hollywood’s sexual misconduct scandal with jokes on a night heavy with nods to activism on issues ranging from LGBT issues and school shootings to sexism and racism.
Gay romance “Call Me by Your Name” won best adapted screenplay and racial satire “Get Out” won best original screenplay.
“A Fantastic Woman,” Chile’s groundbreaking story about a transgender woman, played by transgender actress Daniela Vega, won best foreign language film, and Mexican-inspired “Coco” was named best animated feature.
Sam Rockwell, and Allison Janney took home their first Oscars for their supporting roles “Three Billboards” and independent ice-skating movie “I, Tonya,” respectively.
’Shape of Water’ takes best picture Oscar; Oldman, McDormand are best actors
’Shape of Water’ takes best picture Oscar; Oldman, McDormand are best actors
Director Kaouther Ben Hania rejects Berlin honor over Gaza
DUBAI: Kaouther Ben Hania, the Tunisian filmmaker behind “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” refused to accept an award at a Berlin ceremony this week after an Israeli general was recognized at the same event.
The director was due to receive the Most Valuable Film award at the Cinema for Peace gala, held alongside the Berlinale, but chose to leave the prize behind.
On stage, Ben Hania said the moment carried a sense of responsibility rather than celebration. She used her remarks to demand justice and accountability for Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza in 2024, along with two paramedics who were shot while trying to reach her.
“Justice means accountability. Without accountability, there is no peace,” Ben Hania said.
“The Israeli army killed Hind Rajab; killed her family; killed the two paramedics who came to save her, with the complicity of the world’s most powerful governments and institutions,” she said.
“I refuse to let their deaths become a backdrop for a polite speech about peace. Not while the structures that enabled them remain untouched.”
Ben Hania said she would accept the honor “with joy” only when peace is treated as a legal and moral duty, grounded in accountability for genocide.
