At the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, American actress Zoe Saldaña won the Best Supporting Actress award for her powerful performance in Emilia Perez. During her acceptance speech, Saldaña tearfully honored the contributions of immigrants to the arts, while remembering her own immigrant heritage.
The 97th Academy Awards were held with grandeur at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where American star Zoe Saldaña took home the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as a lawyer in Emilia Perez. Directed by France’s Jacques Audiard, the Spanish-language musical film earned Saldaña this prestigious recognition.
Overcome with emotion, Saldaña took the stage and paid tribute to her mother, as well as the entire cast and crew of Emilia Perez. She highlighted the significant contributions of immigrants to the arts and spoke proudly of her own immigrant roots.
“I am the child of immigrant parents who came to this country with dreams, dignity, and a strong work ethic,” Saldaña said. “My grandmother arrived in this country in 1961. I am the first Dominican-American to receive an Academy Award. I hope this award is important because in this role, I had the opportunity to sing and speak in Spanish. If my grandmother were alive today, she would be overjoyed.”
Her speech comes at a time when the U.S. government, under President Donald Trump’s administration, has been aggressively tightening immigration policies.
Liberty News’ entertainment correspondent states that the Oscar ceremony, the biggest event in the film industry, began early Monday morning (Bangladesh time). The first award of the night went to American actor Kieran Culkin, who won Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Real Pain.
Other notable winners included In the Shadow of Cypress, which took home the Best Animated Short Film award, and Flow, which won Best Animated Feature. The Substance was awarded Best Makeup and Hairstyling, while The Conclave won Best Adapted Screenplay. Paul Tajwell won Best Costume Designer for Wicked, and Sean Baker received Best Original Screenplay for Anora.
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