Last month saw one of the biggest events in every film enthusiast's calendar. I am, of course, talking about The Oscars. This star-spangled evening seems to exist as some ancient, untouchable institution, the ultimate marker of having ‘made it’ for directors, actors and producers around the world. 

 

And yet the past few years have felt somewhat different; there was something deeply dystopian about watching a circus designed to distract us from the world burning all around us. Hollywood has always seemed to err on the Left wing, but this year's acceptance speech acknowledgements of war, famine and genocide fell a little flat from millionaires in couture clutching awards that cost enough to feed several families. 

 

The problem is that the Oscars still pretend all films are being judged on the same terms, when in reality some films are political documents, and others are pure entertainment, and comparing them as if they do the same thing feels increasingly inadequate.

Distraction has always been one of the film industry's central functions. During World War II, Hollywood produced musicals, romances, and comedies alongside propaganda films. In uncertain times, escapism is not trivial but rather a matter of survival. The Oscars turn filmmaking into a spectacle of achievement, glamour, and narrative closure. Someone wins, someone loses, speeches are made, and for a few hours, the world feels orderly. In a world that feels increasingly unpredictable and unstable, the Oscars offer something deeply comforting: structure.

 

However, film cannot serve as a truly neutral distraction to replenish our energy after a long day of political engagement. Art has always been political; even the most frivolous romantic comedies serve some kind of political agenda, regardless of how subconsciously they impact our worldview. A romantic film made in a time of war will feel different from one made in a time of peace. A comedy made during economic collapse will have a different edge to it. A science fiction film made in an age of climate anxiety will imagine the future differently. Artists do not have to force politics into their work; it’s already etched deep into its very fabric.

 

Notably, this year, The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania did not win an Oscar. The film, which followed the Red Crescent response to a Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, broke records for the standing ovation it received at the Venice Film Festival and was a frontrunner to win an Oscar for Best International Feature Film. It was undoubtedly a beautiful and tragic film, but its loss raises the question of whether the film's overt political stance worked for or against it. 

 

I take no issue with escapism; in fact, I think it's healthy to be able to consume media that's far removed from the horrors of our political climate. However, the Oscars cannot be placed in the same category as Love Island and Bridgerton, because they have always existed as an institution designed to champion new art that emerges from and reflects political upheaval. Of course, those in attendance have a responsibility to amplify the voices of artists around the world who cannot advocate for themselves in spaces like the Oscars. However, I believe the responsibility should fall more on the institutions themselves to ensure their voting systems reflect a changing world and that films with overt political messaging are not lumped into categories alongside those designed primarily for escapism. 

 

It feels as though everyone watching, and even many of those in attendance at the Oscars, are well aware that the institution's purpose has changed. And yet it’s frustrating that the members of the academy and those in charge are not willing to let the institution move and progress with the times, opting to censor political statements and calls to action from award winners rather than leaning in to an event that has politics woven into the very fabric of its being. 

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