This year during PCJ460 we spoke a lot about film in international relations, and while watching the Oscars last night I was struck by how often we represent international issues through the medium of moviemaking. Whether it’s documentary style films doing their best to give an educated perspective on an issue, a dramatic retelling of historical events, or a fantasy or sci-fi flick involving hostile aliens, the idea of conflict is always a popular choice when it comes to writing scripts.

I’ve also come to notice several themes that are common in conflict-related movies. The most obvious one is that of humanity putting aside its differences and banding together in order to fight a common enemy. Pacific Rim is probably my favourite example. As massive monsters invade the world, humanity puts aside old feuds and builds equally massive robots to fight them. While in real life, earth may never have fought any kind of alien army – there are cases when we have formed great alliances to take on our own monsters. The most obvious is how allied forces came together to fight against the Nazi party during the Second World War.

Another theme often present in PCJ-related cinema would be that of how history is often manipulated by those telling the tale. Argo is another of my favourite movies. A dramatic retelling of the Iranian hostage crisis, Argo faced some criticism amongst Canadian audiences because it minimized the role Ken Taylor (Canada’s then ambassador to Iran) actually played in ensuring some embassy personnel made it out of the country safely, and maximized the role of the CIA. I thought Argo was a phenomenal movie, but it is definitely more about Hollywood drama than a completely accurate retelling. Of course, we have to consider the fact that the movie industry is centered in United States, and it makes sense that an American perspective would come to dominate. This is increasingly changing: the Oscars make an effort to recognize foreign films (As someone with a Polish background, I was incredibly happy to hear Ida win in that category) and people of diverse backgrounds are gradually breaking into the industry. That said, we all know what the dominant perspective in film still is.

In a similar vein is American Sniper. While I haven’t seen it yet, the difference between the reactions of liberals and conservative politicians has been telling. Finally, CitizenFour won for Best Documentary. The world is fascinated by Edward Snowden and obsessed with what he leaked, and it is no surprise that this documentary has been so popular. The world is split on whether or not he is a patriot or a traitor, and only time will tell how he is written into the pages of history.

I also want to take a moment to think about the interaction between international issues and celebrities. There were a number of speeches in which Oscar winners took a moment to draw attention to various important causes. Patricia Arquette received the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Her speech began as expected: a long list of people to thank. But it took a surprising and awesome turn when Arquette got political and called for equal pay and equal rights for women. Arquette was referring primarily to the United States, but I believe this message would resonate with anyone watching from anywhere in the world. While what happened at this year’s Oscars was tame compared to some others in terms of stars speaking out on political issues, the amount of celebs coming out in favour of feminism was great to see.

In the past there have been incredible moments where issues of justice intersect with the Oscars. Perhaps one of the most historic happened when Marlon Brando declined to receive the Oscar for Best Actor, and activist Sacheen Littlefeather went up in his place to explain that Brando was protesting unfair treatment of Native Americans by the film industry.

While many people think using the Oscar platform to talk politics is tacky because it takes away from the celebration of people’s achievements in the industry, that hasn’t stopped winners from using the podium to talk about things that matter to them. In 1993, Richard Gere addressed human rights violations in Tibet, and stated that he hoped Deng Xiaoping was watching. When Michael Moore won Best Documentary Winner for Bowling for Columbine, he used the Oscar stage to protest the war in Iraq.

I’m not sure how I feel about the intersection between celebrities and activism. On the one hand, I wonder if they are doing it because they believe it, or because it makes a good photo op. But on the other, I sincerely doubt they would put so much effort into something they didn’t believe in.

I do know that I appreciate them bringing attention to the issues that need it, no matter what their motives. If celebrity activism can bring us even a single step closer to resolving some of the great issues we face, I suppose I’m all for it.