Editor’s note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly spelled the name of Benjamin Schindler. The error has been corrected, and we regret any confusion it may have caused.
On Sunday, March 2, the 97th Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, were held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The Oscars stood for the work behind motion pictures in 2024 including 23 recognized categories.
Senior film student RJ Eckel from Ottawa, Ohio said it was interesting to see the turnout of the Oscars and its accomplishments.
Advertisement
“I think it’s very important to sit down and look at accomplishments of the film industry, especially this year with so many accomplishments,” Eckel said.
Eckel said that independent films are primarily not funded by studio films. Therefore, getting recognition through nominations is vital.
One film that highlighted the power of independent films was “Anora.” According to IMDb, this movie follows an escort from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, the woman’s decision is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
According to NPR, the movie is an independent film with a budget of only $6 million. It was shot in New York City with only about 40 crew members. Anora ended up stealing the show at the Oscars with five total Oscar wins.
Benjamin Schindler, a senior film student from Georgetown, Kentucky said that he thinks there couldn’t have been another film more deserving of the award and that everyone should go watch “Anora.”
“I’m very, very happy with it, very pleased,” Schindler said. “I loved the movie, and it was one of my favorites for this year for sure,” Schindler said.
Senior film student, Wade Yates from Union, Kentucky said he has a different take on the movies that won, and “Anora” was one of them. He said it was cool seeing that it’s an independent film but was unsure that it would have won that many.
“My hot-take is ‘Anora’ because I just thought it was kind of okay,” Yates said. “I’m a little shocked that it won so many awards.”
With many categories and personal takes, Eckel said he had his predictions ready before winners had been announced. He said one of his first predictions was that Timothée Chalamet may be the winner for best male actor. He says that Chalamet may be our generation’s next Leonardo DiCaprio.
With his ongoing predictions, Eckle also said he wanted “Anora” to win Best Picture. However, he thought that “The Brutalist”may end up taking the lead with Best Picture.
While Eckel’s prediction for actor Chalamet was not met, his wish for Anora ended up coming true for Best Picture. Though Eckel wasn’t completely right with his predictions, “The Brutalist” did end up taking a win but in another category. According to the Oscars website, Adrien Brody from “The Brutalist” ended up taking the win as best male actor.
“I think that Adrian is a good actor, but it is very clear he sees himself in a higher standing than most actors,” Eckle said. “Especially at the end when the Academy tried to get him off the stage and he told them to stop; it’s very strange behavior.”
Following this, social media has taken a total frenzy with their opinions after Brody’s win and his speech faced backlash for over-running the time given when presenting his speech.
“You know, I’m not the one in charge of the Oscars, but I will happily listen to one or two more minutes from each winner over the host,” Schindler said. “I really value what the winners have to say.”
Advertisement
Schindler said acceptance speeches still need to fall within a timeframe. He said he would rather hear an acceptance speech than the host, Conan O’Brien, take away from the winners’ times to just show off to the audience.
“I think there’s a decency thing involved,” Yates said. “Sure, it’s a big award, but don’t have an ego.”
Schindler said he liked the acceptance speeches and enjoyed seeing people passionate about the film.
“I love seeing the movies that I like get recognized for their contribution to the art of it,” Schindler said.
Schindler said he isn’t fond of the commercialism and fashion show aspects, as it’s not his thing. He said he mainly watches the movies he likes to get recognized.
Whether you are into the conversation or not, Wates said there is beauty in the Oscars. He said that there’s a reason not everyone is a film student and that it’s okay for this not to be for everyone.
“There are some people that want to know what’s behind the curtain and look into it more, and that’s fun for them,” Yates said. “With that, I think the Oscars already does a good job at incentivizing people to watch the movies by releasing the nominations list when they do.”
With so many categories, representation and bias can feel limited, often leading to dissatisfaction and controversy like sparking debates online. While the community, media, and viewers hold strong opinions, they don’t get a say in the decisions.
Eckel said misrepresentation is seen a lot with the Oscars and that people should have more involvement.
“I think audiences should feel more involved, it’s always just their conversation online,” Eckel said.
On the other hand, Schindler said it could get too complicated if audiences get involved.
“I don’t think there’s a way without guaranteeing that everyone has seen every movie, and I don’t think it’d be fair to necessarily allow the general public to vote,” Schindler said.
Schindler said that if one of his favorite films of the year won, “Dune: Part Two,” it would be democratized. He said the movie could have easily just won because most people have seen it.
Eckel said the overall criteria is important in deciding winners and nominations for the Oscars.
“I think it’s important to see why these movies are nominated,” Eckle said. “The criteria for why movies win should be available to everyone.”
Advertisement
With first-time winners and unexpected results, history had even been made. Eckel said he was thrilled to find out Paul Tazewell from “Wicked” won best costume. This made Tazewell the first-ever Black Man to do so.
“There’s always a few steps forward each year, and I think the steps were taken well,” Eckel said.
With recognition, a clear interpretation shows that representation has a lasting impact, influencing relevance and connections. Yates said that winning an Oscar can play a crucial role in building future connections. He said companies see the “Academy Award winner” title as a valuable marketing tool, using it to promote their projects.
I believe that the Oscars are more than one night of recognizing art in film. It sparks conversation, brings voices to diverse opinions and sets the next online conversation with the media frenzy that follows.
Commentary: Film student’s reactions to the Oscars
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly spelled the name of Benjamin Schindler. The error has been corrected, and we regret any confusion it may have caused.
On Sunday, March 2, the 97th Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, were held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The Oscars stood for the work behind motion pictures in 2024 including 23 recognized categories.
Senior film student RJ Eckel from Ottawa, Ohio said it was interesting to see the turnout of the Oscars and its accomplishments.
Advertisement
“I think it’s very important to sit down and look at accomplishments of the film industry, especially this year with so many accomplishments,” Eckel said.
Eckel said that independent films are primarily not funded by studio films. Therefore, getting recognition through nominations is vital.
One film that highlighted the power of independent films was “Anora.” According to IMDb, this movie follows an escort from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, the woman’s decision is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
According to NPR, the movie is an independent film with a budget of only $6 million. It was shot in New York City with only about 40 crew members. Anora ended up stealing the show at the Oscars with five total Oscar wins.
Benjamin Schindler, a senior film student from Georgetown, Kentucky said that he thinks there couldn’t have been another film more deserving of the award and that everyone should go watch “Anora.”
“I’m very, very happy with it, very pleased,” Schindler said. “I loved the movie, and it was one of my favorites for this year for sure,” Schindler said.
Senior film student, Wade Yates from Union, Kentucky said he has a different take on the movies that won, and “Anora” was one of them. He said it was cool seeing that it’s an independent film but was unsure that it would have won that many.
“My hot-take is ‘Anora’ because I just thought it was kind of okay,” Yates said. “I’m a little shocked that it won so many awards.”
With many categories and personal takes, Eckel said he had his predictions ready before winners had been announced. He said one of his first predictions was that Timothée Chalamet may be the winner for best male actor. He says that Chalamet may be our generation’s next Leonardo DiCaprio.
With his ongoing predictions, Eckle also said he wanted “Anora” to win Best Picture. However, he thought that “The Brutalist” may end up taking the lead with Best Picture.
While Eckel’s prediction for actor Chalamet was not met, his wish for Anora ended up coming true for Best Picture. Though Eckel wasn’t completely right with his predictions, “The Brutalist” did end up taking a win but in another category. According to the Oscars website, Adrien Brody from “The Brutalist” ended up taking the win as best male actor.
“I think that Adrian is a good actor, but it is very clear he sees himself in a higher standing than most actors,” Eckle said. “Especially at the end when the Academy tried to get him off the stage and he told them to stop; it’s very strange behavior.”
Following this, social media has taken a total frenzy with their opinions after Brody’s win and his speech faced backlash for over-running the time given when presenting his speech.
“You know, I’m not the one in charge of the Oscars, but I will happily listen to one or two more minutes from each winner over the host,” Schindler said. “I really value what the winners have to say.”
Advertisement
Schindler said acceptance speeches still need to fall within a timeframe. He said he would rather hear an acceptance speech than the host, Conan O’Brien, take away from the winners’ times to just show off to the audience.
“I think there’s a decency thing involved,” Yates said. “Sure, it’s a big award, but don’t have an ego.”
Schindler said he liked the acceptance speeches and enjoyed seeing people passionate about the film.
“I love seeing the movies that I like get recognized for their contribution to the art of it,” Schindler said.
Schindler said he isn’t fond of the commercialism and fashion show aspects, as it’s not his thing. He said he mainly watches the movies he likes to get recognized.
Whether you are into the conversation or not, Wates said there is beauty in the Oscars. He said that there’s a reason not everyone is a film student and that it’s okay for this not to be for everyone.
“There are some people that want to know what’s behind the curtain and look into it more, and that’s fun for them,” Yates said. “With that, I think the Oscars already does a good job at incentivizing people to watch the movies by releasing the nominations list when they do.”
With so many categories, representation and bias can feel limited, often leading to dissatisfaction and controversy like sparking debates online. While the community, media, and viewers hold strong opinions, they don’t get a say in the decisions.
Eckel said misrepresentation is seen a lot with the Oscars and that people should have more involvement.
“I think audiences should feel more involved, it’s always just their conversation online,” Eckel said.
On the other hand, Schindler said it could get too complicated if audiences get involved.
“I don’t think there’s a way without guaranteeing that everyone has seen every movie, and I don’t think it’d be fair to necessarily allow the general public to vote,” Schindler said.
Schindler said that if one of his favorite films of the year won, “Dune: Part Two,” it would be democratized. He said the movie could have easily just won because most people have seen it.
Eckel said the overall criteria is important in deciding winners and nominations for the Oscars.
“I think it’s important to see why these movies are nominated,” Eckle said. “The criteria for why movies win should be available to everyone.”
Advertisement
With first-time winners and unexpected results, history had even been made. Eckel said he was thrilled to find out Paul Tazewell from “Wicked” won best costume. This made Tazewell the first-ever Black Man to do so.
“There’s always a few steps forward each year, and I think the steps were taken well,” Eckel said.
With recognition, a clear interpretation shows that representation has a lasting impact, influencing relevance and connections. Yates said that winning an Oscar can play a crucial role in building future connections. He said companies see the “Academy Award winner” title as a valuable marketing tool, using it to promote their projects.
I believe that the Oscars are more than one night of recognizing art in film. It sparks conversation, brings voices to diverse opinions and sets the next online conversation with the media frenzy that follows.