Amid the pomp and circumstance of Oscars 2024, a group of Hollywood stars including Billie Eilish, Ramy Youssef, and more used the red carpet as a moment to show support for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine by adorning their red carpet looks with Palestinian flags and Artists4Ceasefire pins.
On Sunday, March 10, actors, musicians, models, and celebrities including Youssef — who called for a permanent ceasefire on the red carpet — Billie Eilish, Finneas, Quannah Chasinghorse, Mark Ruffalo, Mahershala Ali, and more wore their Artists4Ceasefire pins, which have been cropping up on various outfits during award season. Meanwhile, The Anatomy of a Fall stars Milo Machado-Graner and Swann Arlaud wore Palestinian flag pins on their lapels.
“Too many dead people since the 7th of October,” Arlaud told Vanity Fair. “It has to stop. It’s about humanity. Ceasefire.”
“The pin symbolizes collective support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all of the hostages and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” Artists4Ceasefire, a collective of artists and advocates, wrote in a press release. Hundreds of actors, filmmakers, and musicians have signed an Artists4Ceasefire letter addressed to President Biden since October 26, 2023, calling for “an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost,” according to the letter. “Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed.”
As of Feb. 29, the reported death toll in Palestine has surpassed 30,000 — likely an undercount, as reported by NPR, due to the difficulty in locating and identifying bodies throughout the ongoing warfare. Though President Joe Biden initially signaled that a ceasefire agreement could come as soon as Mon. March 4, on Feb. 29 Biden walked it back. That same day, reportedly over 100 Palestinians were killed and over 700 injured waiting in line for famine relief after Israeli forces opened fire on a line of people awaiting food. White House officials said that the attack on those awaiting relief “underscored the need for a ceasefire,” per NBC.
Previously, Boygenius members Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker had worn an Artists4Ceasefire pin at the Grammys. Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo wore one to the Directors Guild of America awards. Ruffalo told Deadline on the DGA red carpet: “We’re not going to bomb our way to peace, and all we’re saying is, what’s wrong with giving a cease-fire a chance?”
Outside the red carpet, hundred of protestors gathered to traffic jam Sunset Boulevard with signs like “No awards for genocide,” Variety reported.
During the Oscars 2024 ceremony, The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer talked about the themes in his movie and “dehumanization” in the context of Israel and Palestine while accepting the award for Best International Feature. “All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present … Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst," he said. "Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?"
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