The Academy Awards: A Foreign Affair
After noting that there was nobody left to thank in New Zealand, the Academy Award winner for best actress, Charlize Theron, held her Oscar and tearfully exclaimed: "I'm going to thank everyone in South Africa - my home country - I'm bringing this home next week." As a teenager, Theron left her small town of Benoni in South Africa to pursue her dreams. Like so many other foreigners in the U.S. film industry, Charlize Theron has culturally enriched the United States.
A large proportion of the winners and nominees for the 76th Academy Awards came from many parts of the world. And that does not even include those in the category for Best Foreign Film. The New Zealand crew from "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" achieved an extraordinary milestone, winning every Oscar in the eleven categories for which it was nominated, including Best Director and Best Picture. Other Kiwis up for Academy Awards included Keisha Castle-Hughes for her performance in "Whale Rider". The 13 year-old was the youngest person ever nominated for the best actress.
In their acceptance speeches, Academy Award winners paid tribute to the immigrants in their lives. Winner of the Best Supporting Actress Award, Renie Zellweger thanked her "immigrant parents" for their support who are originally from Norway and Sweden. Moreover, many Academy Award nominated films were loaded with immigrant themes. The West African-born Djimon Hounsou was nominated for his role "In America," in which he played a man dying of AIDS who is befriended by the daughters of a family of undocumented Irish immigrants. While on the red carpet, Hounsou said that he hoped the film would serve as an educational tool for the entertainment industry, clearly referring to the lukewarm acceptance immigrants today are facing in the United States.
Similarly, in the film "House of Sand and Fog" the Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo played the wife of an exiled Iranian colonel who tries to pursue the American dream. Aghdashloo, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, has a personal connection to her character as she herself fled from Iran after the 1979 revolution. Like Hounsou, Aghdashloo has said she hopes her film changes people's attitudes about immigrants. The British actor, Sir Ben Kingsley, was also nominated for Best Actor for his role in the critically acclaimed film.
Language barriers did not keep anyone away from the Oscar ceremonies. Best Supporting Actor nominee Ken Watanabe brought his own interpreter to the Oscars so he could speak Japanese at times. Watanabe, who lives in Tokyo and Los Angeles, was nominated for his dramatic samurai performance in "The Last Samurai." A French band performed the song "Belleville Rendez-vous," which was nominated for the Best Original Song. British singer-songwriters Sting and Elvis Costello were also up for the award. In the end, New Zealand's Fran Walsh, Canadian composer Howard Shore and British singer Annie Lennox took home the best-song Oscar for "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King".
Australia and Brazil's influences were also felt on Sunday evening. Aussie Peter Weir was nominated for Best Director for "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." Fernando Meirelles was also nominated Best Director for his work in "City of God" which included a cast filled with native Brazilians.
Increasingly it has been recognized that the success of U.S. films in international markets is a critical factor in whether a film makes money or tanks. What we now have to recognize is the importance of foreigners working with U.S. partners in making those profits happen both at home and abroad. Strangely, with tighter immigration control, it is getting more difficult to bring these foreign workers into the U.S. Earlier this year, the former Buena Vista Social Club Cuban musician and Grammy nominee Ibrahim Ferrer was denied a visa to come into the U.S.
Amid a growing hostile international environment, it's refreshing to see ethnic diversity being recognized in the U.S. film industry. Foreigners in the film industry not only continue to shape our views of the world, but also provide necessary revenue for the U.S. Indeed, foreigner entertainers are just one more example of the colorful American mosaic. Perhaps, this is what Charlize Theron showed South Africans when she took home the gold statuette.
About The Author
Yvette Lopez-Cooper is a former Department of Justice attorney and practices immigration law in Southern California. She can be reached at: yvetlopez@yahoo.com.
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ILW.COM.
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