Politics Take Center Stage at the Oscars

With Trump administration policies continuing to stir up controversy on a global scale, it was no surprise to see Jimmy Kimmel take a few shots at the president while hosting the 89th Academy Awards.

Things also took a more serious tone as some of the speeches addressed the scope of people who are really being directly affected by recent policies. Italian makeup artist and immigrant Alessandro Bertolazzi accepted his award on behalf of immigrants. While actor and presenter Gael García Bernal, as a Mexican and as a migrant worker, spoke against any form of a wall that tries to separate people.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, whose film The Salesman won for Best Foreign Language Film, boycotted the Oscars in protest of President Trump’s travel ban and had Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian in space, accept the award on his behalf.

The Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject went to The White Helmets, and the filmmakers took the opportunity to draw attention to the war in Syria in the hopes of ending the war as quickly as possible. And Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins, along with Tarell Alvin McCraney, had a message for those who feel they are forgotten or that their stories aren’t being reflected, saying that he and the American Civil Liberties Union “have your back” for the next four years.

With all the heartfelt expressions of where to devote our political energies, Kimmel said he himself had no words of advice, but he seemed to know who not to turn to, and some may remember him as the man who starred in Braveheart.

Watch: Best Picture fail is one of many memorable moments from the Oscars

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