Samuel Taylor Coleridge defined drama as that voluntary suppression of disbelief and topped it off by stating that this was the constituent element of poetic faith. The entertainment industry —and in particular the film industry— understands it very well. Few economic sectors have been as severely hit as this amid all changes that have overcome this year. Distrust must be paused. Various mechanisms of action must be promoted and innovative ways of acting when facing a crisis. Looks like the filmmakers got it very well.
The world of cinema understands what creativity is and this year it was put into play. Instead of sitting down and crying and prostrating as the wounds were licked, those who dared to get into action have been rewarded. They looked for alternative ways to contact their audiences and understood that their mission is: "The Show must continue."
In a world where hate speeches became fashionable, where productivity and profitability are the rotating axis of business life, where we have dismissed people by age, gender, preferences, to see that skills and skills were appreciated independently of false standards, is refreshing. The diverse, the different, the other way of doing things and understands the ways to do them very well. For example, is the button of the gala of the main Oscars.
It may be that the majority of the attendees of the Academy Awards in its ninety-third edition have had doubts when starting their projects, many will have been tempted by the temptation to stand still, they will have been bitten by uncertainty. I am sure that in occupying their places, they would carry in their hearts that satisfaction of having put aside disbelief, of putting sanity on pause and despite the sorrows of betting on continuing to make films. What I learned by watching the Oscars ceremony is that a support system that believes in talent and has faith in success, even in times of adversity produces good results: I'm sure they got a lot of profits. That's right, faith keeps moving mountains.
I believe that the vast majority of the producers who attended the gala would call the act of funding and making a film —given the conditions of the industry and in the midst of a pandemic —the voluntary suspension of financial sanity. And, it is that when we talk about having faith in creativity, of putting hope in talent as suspicions arise. It can be important, address diversity and generate profits. The business world does not have to be spherical about social responsibility and business ethics. They're not fighting.
It's true, Hollywood has had severe questions. In fact, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been harshly criticized as there were years when they were neither included nor tolerant. They were, rather, quite the opposite. But, broadcast number ninety-three recognized the excellence and social activism of professionals in the film industry. It was possible to remove a stigma and testify that it is possible to break glass ceilings and racial barriers to give way to talent. There are several examples that serve as evidence.
Chloe Zhao became the first black woman to win the Best Director award, for Nomadland —who also took the award for Best Picture. Daniel Kaluuya and Yuh-Jung Youn took recognition from the Academy of Supporting Actors. Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson became the first black women to win in makeup and hairdressing, for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The evidence is blunt. It was not a quota that had to be covered, rather it leaves us evidence that talent should not be justified by skin color, gender, preferences, country of origin. Talent must shine and germinate. It's not easy to see as a list of nominees and winners whether to stop marveling at diversity. And listen to the words of those who would not have dreamed of being there at another time, when given the opportunity to hold the coveted golden statue, is truly relevant and worth listening carefully.
There are apprenticeships, the feeling in the speeches that were delivered indicated how shocking triumph can be for the communities representing the various winners. It is uplifting to see how devastating it can be for them to get lost, rise and win. Words of unity were uttered and duty to be above hatred was privileged. Mia Neal referred to the glass ceiling she broke along with Wilson and her hope for a more diverse future: "I can imagine black trans women standing here, and Asian sisters and our Latino sisters and indigenous women, and I know that one day it won't be unusual or groundbreaking, it will just be normal."
Many myths were broken, at the ceremony, he also presented us with a very human side of corporate work. Chloe Zhao took a few moments to talk about herself, let us see what it was like to grow up in China and how she got over the difficulty. He narrated a game he had with his father. "We memorized poems and classic Chinese texts and recited it together and tried to finish each other's sentences." There was irony, jokes, laughter. My favorite moment was in charge of Yuh-Jung Youn who is the first South Korean to win an Oscar in an acting category.
The intelligence of this 73-year-old actress is a sign of all the barriers she collapsed with her talent. I urged the endearing grandmother Soonja in the drama Minari, which portrays the experience of a South Korean family settling on an Arkansas farm in order to produce crops. He let us see what the American dream of people living in mobile homes in the United States becomes. And most of all, I loved the moment he thanked his two sons, "who made him go out to work. This is the result because his mother worked so hard." I did it or didn't get victimized, but making it clear how resounding it can be for a woman to go out to work leaving children at home.
What I learned by watching Oscar's installment is that Coleridge was right: there are times when voluntarily suppressing the reason for dealing with crises. That's creativity in action. That's being innovative. That pays off.