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War Is Over! bagged the accolade for Best Animated Short Film at Oscars 2024, which aired on Sunday, March 10. With Jimmy Kimmel's return as host, the prestigious ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Directed by Dave Mullins, War Is Over! follows the life of two soldiers stationed at the frontline in an alternate reality of World War I. They play a game of chess while a carrier pigeon delivers messages across the battlefield about them being on opposing sides of the war. The message of the film is loud and clear - no matter who wins the game of chess, there aren't any winners at war.
While accepting the award, filmmaker Dave Mullins delivered a heartfelt speech but viewers are bashing the director on social media for not taking the crucial time to shed light on the rising Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
User @screenslate wrote on X:
"Filmmakers of War Is Over thanking the makers of Fortnite but saying nothing about Palestine, incredible."
Dave Mullins' speech at Oscars 2024
The director was accompanied by executive producer Sean Ono Lennon on stage. For those unaware, the latter is also the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, whose peace anthem Happy Xmas (War Is Over), inspired the theme of the film.
Sean Ono Lennon asked the crowd to join him in wishing his absent mother a Happy Mother's Day (UK).
On the other hand, Dave Mullins said:
"John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote a song that inspired us. Its an antiwar message that we tried to honor with this film, we want to thank our executive producer and creative partner Sean Ono Lennon, who was incredible to work with, our team at ElectroLeague… and I want to thank Thomas Newman for his incredible score.”
Producer Brad Booker, who was also on the Oscars 2024 stage, thanked Peter Jackson, who created the visual effects for the movie, before extending his gratitude to the animation team at Weta FX, Lightsfrom Entertainment and Epic Games.
A barrage of viewers were unhappy that the makers, while accepting such a crucial award for a movie titled "War is Over" refrained from mentioning anything about the Israel-Palestinian conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people.
Oscars 2024 viewers noted how the anti-war message appeared inauthentic without citing real-world war problems. A few said there was a "disconnect" between the purpose of the film as the makers decided to stay silent about the raging war going on in Palestine.
Those interested can watch the 96th Academy Awards live on the ABC affiliate channel and applications. For cord-cutters, Oscars 2024 can be streamed live on streaming platforms including. YouTube TV, Sling TV, Fubo TV, and Hulu+ Live TV.
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