Priyanka Chopra Shares Stage With Javier Bardem During ‘Free Palestine’ Moment

One of the most powerful political ones occurred when at the Academy Awards, Javier Bardem spoke of peace and in support of Palestine, presenting an award alongside Priyanka Chopra.

The award of Best International Feature Film was presented by the two actors on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles at the 98th Oscars presentation. Javier Bardem made a short but sharp speech before declaring the winner. No war and Free Palestine, he said, which received great applause among many people in the audience. Priyanka stood next to him and nodded her head in agreement when he spoke of the need to have peace in an era of global conflict.

The best international feature film award eventually was awarded to the Norwegian film Sentimental Value. This was what Javier Bardem had said, which is what he had also preempted earlier on in the evening when his speech was announced on the red carpet. The Spanish actor came in with a pin saying No to War on his tuxedo and a patch saying No a la guerra, which meant that he was with Palestinians and against continuous wars.

The ritual itself was rather political. Host Conan O’Brien recognised the unpredictable world climate by opening the show both in humour and contemplation. Taking a jab at Hollywood, whose increasing apprehensions about artificial intelligence, he said that he was honoured to be the final human host of the awards.

The statement of Bardem is amid increased international focus on US military intervention in Iran and the Israel-Palestine conflict. His Oscars speech fits into a nascent trend of celebrities raising their voices over human rights concerns, and is some response to the precedent of stars wearing ICE out pins at the awards.

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