Jonathan Glazer, the director of the Auschwitz-themed film The Zone of Interest, garnered cheers and applause at the Academy Awards for his acceptance speech upon winning the Oscar for best international film.
This marked the first time Britain had received such an honor. Glazer, who directed the German-language, Polish-shot adaptation of Martin Amis’s novel, took the stage with producer James Wilson.
In his speech, he decried the ongoing genocide in Gaza, emphasising the contemporary relevance of their film’s narrative.
Glazer and Wilson expressed their commitment to making choices in the film that reflect and confront present-day issues, aiming to convey a message beyond historical events.
Glazer, who, like Wilson, is Jewish, disapproved of the hijacking of Jewishness and the Holocaust by the current occupation, leading to conflict affecting innocent people.
He dedicated the film to the memory of an elderly Polish woman named Alexandria, whom he had met. She had worked for the Polish resistance at the age of 12, cycling to the camp to leave apples. The film used her bike and dress, and Glazer shared that she passed away a few weeks after their conversation.
The Zone of Interest, the third British film nominated in the category, triumphed over competitors such as the Spanish-produced air crash drama Society of the Snow and the Japanese toilet-cleaner character study Perfect Days.
Sandra Hüller, who stars in Anatomy of a Fall, also appears in The Zone of Interest, portraying Hedwig Höss alongside Christian Friedel as Rudolf Höss, the commandant of the Auschwitz death camp.
