We are two days after the Academy Awards and still feel the history-making reverberations of the historical wins of A24’s critically acclaimed multiverse fever dream family drama Everything Everywhere All At Once from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Sheinert (aka the Daniels). The film won seven Oscars from its 11 nominations.
EEAAO was the most nominated film this year and broke numerous records and, in its own way, disrupted a system that usually gravitates towards “prestige” cinema about Hollywood, a war, or something very European that doesn’t quite align with general movie-going audiences. EEAO won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing as well as three of the four acting categories. Actor Ke Huy Quan gave a stirring speech as he continued his “I didn’t go no where, you just havent been paying attention to me” awards run by winning Supporting Actor. Icon Michelle Yeoh finally got her due and made history as the first woman of Asian descent to win Best Actress and the second woman of color to win the trophy (it was poetic seeing fellow Oscar winner Halle Berry present to her!). Legend Jamie Lee Curtis also won for Supporting Actress and was utterly grateful.
Curtis recently called into the Today show this week and told Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie that she is referring to her Oscar statuette as They/Them when they asked her what she was going to name it.
“In support of my daughter Ruby, I’m having them be a they/them,” said Curtis.
Ruby has been supported by Curtis and her father Christopher Guest since she has come out as trans. Curtis has always been an advocate and outspoken and with LGBTQ rights, and with her child, it is no different. “There is no debate to argue here,” she said. “Trans people have been here forever and aren’t going anywhere. There is no ideology here. It’s simple. Trans rights are human rights. Anything stating the contrary is wrong.”
In addition, the Daniels showed their support for inclusivity and forging a solid, healthy filmmaking community in their acceptance speeches — speciifically when they accepted the Best Director award. “This one is dedicated to the mommies of the world, to our moms, specifically my mom and dad, thank you for not squashing my creativity when I was making really disturbing horror films or really perverted comedy films or dressing in drag as a kid, which is a threat to nobody!” Scheinert said. His comments come after Tennessee passed laws that take away rights from LGBTQ people including a ban on drag performances in public places and restrictions of gender-affirming care for minors.
Kwan chimed in, “There is greatness in every single person, it doesn’t matter who they are. If you have a genius that is waiting to erupt, you just need to find the right people to unlock that. Thank you so much everyone who has unlocked my genius.”
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