<\/p>\n
A few artists protested more than just the Trump administration’s immigration policies on Hollywood’s biggest night<\/a>.<\/p>\n The presence of \u201cBE GOOD\u201d and \u201cICE OUT\u201d pins at the Academy Awards<\/a> paled in comparison to last month’s Grammys<\/a>. But those who did wear protest apparel used Sunday’s red carpet to also advocate for Palestinian liberation and a ceasefire<\/a> amid the fragile situation in Gaza<\/a>, adding to the growing artist-driven activism at entertainment awards shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo to war and free Palestine,\u201d actor Javier Bardem said onstage before presenting best international feature film. He wore a patch reading \u201cNo a la Guerra,\u201d the same anti-war slogan he sported to protest the Iraq war more than two decades ago.<\/p>\n As Hollywood’s awards season comes to a close with the Oscars, political organizers suggested that celebrities found their political voices more this cycle than in recent years. Maremoto Executive Director Jess Morales Rocketto, whose Latino advocacy group was behind the immigration pins that debuted at the Golden Globes<\/a>, called it a \u201creturn to form\u201d for artists’ political engagement.<\/p>\n She credited comments by Mark Ruffalo<\/a> on the Golden Globes red carpet in January. The actor, who is often outspoken, told Entertainment Tonight that \u201cas much as I love all this\u201d he found it difficult to pretend \u201clike this crazy stuff isn’t happening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think we tapped into something early on that this is a time to take stands and make clear where you are at this moment in history,\u201d Morales Rocketto said ahead of Sunday’s Oscars.<\/p>\n On Sunday, attendees representing \u201cThe Voice of Hind Rajab\u201d<\/a> wore a new red \u201cArtists4Ceasefire\u201d pin. The docudrama, which follows efforts to rescue a Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, was nominated for best international feature film.<\/p>\n Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians<\/a> since a U.S.-brokered truce went into effect<\/a> in October, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry.<\/p>\n \u201cOur struggles are connected. So is our liberation. And we’re so, so honored to be here tonight,\u201d Saja Kilani, one of the film’s stars, told The Associated Press on the red carpet<\/a>.<\/p>\n The content of Sunday’s ceremony proved more political than previous years \u2014 even if it lacked direct references to the Iran war<\/a> and other global issues. \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d director Paul Thomas Anderson said he wrote the political drama for his children to apologize for the \u201chousekeeping mess we left in this world we\u2019re handing off to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Host Conan O’Brien<\/a> cracked jokes at the expense of the U.S. health care system and Kid Rock, referring to conservative organization Turning Point USA’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a rare moment of sincerity, O\u2019Brien said the Oscars are particularly resonant in \u201cmoments like these,\u201d nodding broadly at the many different world crises.<\/p>\n \u201cWe pay tribute tonight not just to film, but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today: optimism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The best documentary<\/a> category, whose nominees tend to contain more overt political messages, brought more social commentary. David Borenstein, one of the \u201cMr. Nobody Against Putin\u201d<\/a> directors, said the documentary is about \u201chow you lose your country.\u201d<\/p>\n That happens through \u201ccountless small little acts of complicity\u201d such as \u201cwhen a government murders people on the streets of our major cities\u201d or when \u201coligarchs take over the media,\u201d Borenstein said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all face a moral choice, but luckily, even a nobody is more powerful than you think,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n