Everything, everywhere

And the Oscar goes to...

Me, on the Oscars’ red carpet in 2014, trying to dodge being in people’s shots.

Dear Reader

Once upon a time, not too long ago, I used to cover the Oscars. Starting from 2010, when District 9 became the first film by a South African director to be nominated for best picture, and I flew from SA to LA to report on it for Eyewitness News. Every year since, I would head to the Kodak Theater, which later became the Dolby Theater, and join the throngs of other international press all vying for their spot on the red carpet or in the press room to file stories in and around the event, for TV or radio or both. It was always a stressful, fun, high-octane, sleep-deprived time — complete with various memories of high-five’ing best actress-winner Natalie Portman at a post-Oscar party, meeting a baby-faced Michael B. Jordan at a Grey Goose cocktail event, and dancing up a storm on Elton John’s dance-floor with Giles from Buffy.

2020 was the last time I went to cover the Oscars. The pandemic and pregnancy followed, and last year, I was asleep in the hospital when the best picture was announced, after having just given birth to our daughter (the only real award-winner, in my peak-hormonal eyes).

Now, I just don’t feel the same pull to cover the awards as I used to. It may be because I’ve moved on, in terms of the things that interest me, but I think a large part of it also has to do with the frustration that’s been created by the Academy, and the entire awards system, in recent years. When Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler were both left out of this year’s best actress nominations, and French Senegalese director Alice Diop was completely shunned for her electrifying Saint Omer, I, like so many others, just felt so tired of it all.

A friend and critic, Robert Daniels, wrote a spot-on opinion piece about the issues at hand (you can subscribe to his Substack here), and while I interviewed a very lovely Austin Butler, who is likely to win best actor, and would love to see Michelle Yeoh get her long-overdue flowers, I have lost so much enthusiasm for the awards because they seem to be taking so long to truly reflect the world we live in.

Sometimes the Oscars do get it right. Like in 2021, when they awarded Crip Camp best documentary. The film, which you can watch on Netflix, introduced me to the work and infectious spirit of disability rights activist Judy Heumann. This past weekend, Judy passed away at the age of 75. If you haven’t seen the doc, please do. It shows how Heumann went from a nervous, giggly counselor at Camp Jened to the vivacious, headstrong leader she will be remembered as.

In case you need any more reason, here’s my #ReviewOnTheRun of the film, which I made in 2020, when the pandemic was just starting to take hold of our city, and our world at large. I got to interview Judy a short while after, and the first thing she did was ask how I was holding up.

May Judy Heumann’s memory be a blessing.

And here’s to Michelle Yeoh winning this weekend, because, despite everything, everywhere that is all at once wrong with the Oscars, that still needs to happen!

Your neighbour

Nadia