‘No to war and free Palestine’: How the 2026 Oscars turned political

This year's Oscars were charged with politics and protest, with several attendees using Hollywood’s biggest event as a stage to denounce the US-Israel war on Iran and call for solidarity with Palestine and Iran.

While presenting the award for Best International Feature Film, Spanish actor Javier Bardem cried "No to war, and free Palestine" on the stage, receiving a loud round of applause from the audience.

Bardem, wearing the same peace pin he had in 2003 to protest the Iraq war, said the world was witnessing "the same lies" more than two decades later.

"Back then, it was weapons of mass destruction. Not it’s the regime they want to defeat," he said, condemning what he called an "illegal war" in Iran.

The actor also condemned US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "the same liars, the same manipulative people".

"You can be part of the movie-making community... [and] be a citizen who uses this huge platform to denounce injustice," he said.

Bardem referenced the genocide in Palestine, criticising the so-called ceasefire as meaningless given that "more than 600 people, more than half of them children", have been killed in the last few months.

Bardem, among more than 100 artists who signed an open letter condemning the Berlin Film Festival's 'silence' on Gaza, has been a prominent voice urging filmmakers to speak out on human rights issues.

Host Conan O'Brien had opened the night acknowledging that "tonight could get political", a reflection of the growing pressure on celebrities to speak on the mounting horrors of global conflicts.

Actor Hannah Einbinder, who has likewise been outspoken on the Palestine question, later told reporters that she felt "absolute pride" hearing Bardem’s words, but said she wasn't surprised that nobody else did the same.

"The Voice of Hind Rajab" and the call for a ceasefire

"The Voice of Hind Rajab", a film about five-year-old Hind who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, was nominated for Best International Feature Film but fell short of winning an Oscar.

The film’s cast wore Artists4Ceasefire pins, created in collaboration with artist Shepard Fairey, calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

British-Indian actor Charithra Chandran also wore the pin, saying she felt blessed to have a platform on which to highlight the ongoing war in Gaza.

"The news cycle is so fast, and the people move on, but the people in Gaza and the West Bank are still suffering", she told reporters.

The film’s cast noted, however, that their lead actor, Motaz Malhees, was denied a US visa because of his Palestinian citizenship.

"You can block a passport," Malhees said in response to the ban. "But you cannot block a voice."

Solidarity with Iran

Elsewhere in the ceremony, Iranian documentary duo Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni of 'Cutting Through Rocks', which follows the story of an Iranian woman elected as a councilwoman, voiced solidarity with protesters in their home country.

Khaki told reporters: "Change is possible from within, not the other way around", dedicating the award to ordinary Iranians demanding reform.