With just over 48 hours before the 88th Academy Awards ceremony kicks off in California, speculation is running wild as to who will go home victorious, and who will have to wait until next year to pick up an Oscar trophy.
This year’s Oscars in particular have been soaked in controversy, mainly thanks to the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag, but also after it was revealed that the most prominent nominees will receive a free trip to Israel (worth $55,000 US). This week, anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace paid for an ad published in the LA Times (Variety refused), calling on nominees to refuse the trip.
All controversy and politics aside, though, the evening still promises to be eventful, humorous (if Chris Rock doesn’t fall flat), and full of surprises – though I think we can all agree that no one wants to be shocked when Best Actor is announced. Just give the statue to Leo already, who dazzled audiences in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant, which has eleven nominations.
The evening will also, as always, feature a distinguished cadre of Jewish actors, comedians, directors and writers, some that are nominated, and some that will present awards (including Jason Segal, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Sarah Silverman). For a full comprehensive list of Jewish and/or Israeli-themed films and actors nominated for an award, see below.
And the nominees are….
The Revenant
With eleven nominations, the film is produced by Israeli mogul Arnon Milchan, and features cinematography from Jewish-Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern (also known as Emmanuel Lubezki or “El Chivo.”)
Room
Nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Brie Larson, and Best Director for Irish-Jewish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson, Room was shot in Toronto and backed by a solid screenplay based on the novel by the same name by Emma Donaghue. According to Abrahamson, he’s the third most famous Irish Jew of all time. He might be.
Winter on Fire
This look at the Ukrainian revolution is nominated for Best Documentary, and developed by Russian-Israeli director Evgeny Afineevsky.
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
This Canadian short nominated for Best Documentary Short is directed by Toronto resident Adam Benzine and looks at Claude Lanzmann’s making of Shoah, an iconic nearly ten-hour film on the Holocaust.
Son of Saul
This Golden Globe award-winning Hungarian film, expected to pick up the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, is, as one CJN reviewer put it, a “dark imagining of concentration camp life,” following a Holocaust inmate who finds the body of his dead son and his quest to give him a proper Jewish burial.
Amy
The documentary on British-Jewish musician Amy Winehouse, who died at the young age of 27, is expected to pick up the award for Best Documentary.
The Hateful Eight
The American Western film from acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino didn’t only revitalize Kurt Russell’s career; it brought Jewish actor Jennifer Jason Leigh back to the spotlight as well. Leigh is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a leading role.
Bridge of Spies
Nominated for six awards including Best Picture, the film is helmed by an all-star Jewish cast, including director Steven Spielberg from a screenplay written by Jewish writing/directing team Joel and Ethan Coen (alongside Matt Charman).
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars, directed by Jewish super-producer J.J. Abrams, is nominated for five awards, including Original Score and Film Editing.
Ave Maria
Nominated for Best Short Film (Live Action), the film is directed by Palestinian-Brit Basil Khalil and follows a group of Israeli-Jewish settlers who, after becoming stranded in the West Bank, ask for help from a group of Palestinian nuns.