“Anora” wins the large number of Oscars. Listen to an overview of the evening: NPR

The NPR Entertainment Mandalit del Barco correspondent gives an Oscar overview on Sunday evening, where many films were recognized, but was finally a big evening for the film “Anora”.

Michel Martin, host:

One of the big winners of the Oscars last night was not withdrawn by any American distributor. Despite this, “no other lands”, produced by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, claimed the Oscar for a documentary feature. Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra spoke with Leila in November.

(Soundbite of Archived NPR Broadcast)

Basel Adra: I always thought that when people would see what is going on in the videos that we – I risk my life and that other Palestinians risk their lives to film, that would change something.

Martin: The NPR correspondent Entertainment Mandalit del Barco has more than the Oscar evening. Good morning.

Mandalit del Barco, byline: Hello.

Martin: Or I should probably say good evening, because you have probably not launched.

Del Barco: has not finished yet.

Martin: No. Well, you were in the room when the team behind “no other land” picked up its Oscar. What did they say?

Del Barco: Yeah. Well, Basel Adra explained how he had hoped that his daughter would not have to deal with violence and the trip as he had to. He spoke against what he called the ethnic cleaning of the Palestinians. Codirector Yuval Abraham also did, who is an Israeli journalist.

(Soundbit of 97th Academy Awards)

Yuval Abraham: When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free under civil law, and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life and he cannot control. There is a different path – a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for our two inhabitants.

Del Barco: Abraham said that American foreign policy helps block this path. But most of the Oscar ceremony was apolitical, with the exception of a few moments, like that of the host Conan O’Brien speaking of the success of the film “Anora”. It is the story of a Brooklyn sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch.

(Soundbit of 97th Academy Awards)

Conan O’Brien: I suppose that Americans are delighted to see someone finally resist a powerful Russian.

(Oohing)

O’Brien: our …

Del Barco: This film, “Anora”, won the best film.

Martin: Not just the photo, but I see that it was the big winner of the night. Was it a surprise, Mandalit?

Del Barco: Well, “Anora” had been one of the leading bridges entering the ceremony, so it was not really a surprise, although perhaps a little for Mikey Madison, who beat Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres when she won the actress’s prize. She thanked sex workers for sharing their stories. And director Sean Baker, who also wrote, published and produced the film. You know, he was an independent filmmaker. But here he was at the most Hollywood of ceremonies winning four Oscars for the same film. During his speech, Baker made a field to go to the cinema.

(Soundbit of 97th Academy Awards)

Sean Baker: Watching a film in a theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, shout and fight together, maybe sit in a devastated silence together. And at a time when the world can feel very divided, it is more important than ever. It is a common experience that you simply do not return to your home.

Martin: Yes, it was interesting. But still, Oscars are a program on films but made for television. So, Mandalit, what kind of show did they set up last night?

Del Barco: Yeah. Well, the ceremony started with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo singing a mixture of songs from “The Wizard of Oz”, “The Wiz” and “Wicked”. And the Oz theme continued with Queen Latifah singing another song from “The Wiz” during a tribute to Quincy Jones. There was also a tribute to the James Bond films and a salvation in Los Angeles and those who recently fought the devastating forest fires here.

There were other notable winners and some first. Brazil won its first international feature films for “I’m Still here”. And Paul Tazewell of “Wicked” became the first black man to win the Oscar for the design of costumes.

I looked at the ceremony from the interior of the theater, but apparently, some live viewers have not seen everything. I hear that Hulu has slipped for some of the millions of looks at home.

Martin: Well, I did the old -fashioned. I watched her in my kitchen on TV (laughing). Thank you, Mandalit.

Del Barco: Thank you.

Martin: It’s the NPR del Barco mandalit.

(Soundbite of “Overture (Bus)” by Daniel Blumberg))

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