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And the (geopolitical) Oscar goes to …

March 09, 2023
Carlos Santamaria
Illustration of a world map with an Academy Award statue
Annie Gugliotta

It's the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday, and we all know that the Oscars often get political. You can expect speeches to reference Russia's war in Ukraine and, of course, US culture-war issues like identity politics. But in this era of political hyper-polarization in America and beyond, we’ve got our own awards to give out.

Here are our picks for a few of the best performances of the past 12 months.

Best Documentary Feature: "The Little Short," by El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, based on his get-rich-quick bestseller "Bukele's Guide to Wealth and Fame in Crypto Markets."

Best Cameo/Actress in a Limited TV Miniseries:Liz Truss as British PM.

Lifetime Achievement: Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for "My Trip to Taipei," a tour de force in DNGAF about the geopolitical consequences of my actions.

Best Costume Design: US Rep. (and alleged serial liar) George Santos (R-NY) as a drag queen in Brazil.

Best Editing: Xi Jinping for ending zero-COVID in China — and all references to it too.

Best Special Effects: The US/Russia/pro-Ukrainian group/we'll-never-know-who for the Nord Stream pipeline explosion.

Best Sound Editing in Parliament/Exit From the Party: Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern.

Best Screenplay/Cinematography: C-SPAN for "The House Speaker Fight," an unexpectedly riveting story of failed votes, failed fistfights, and failed leadership in the US Congress.

Best Remake: Jair Bolsonaro, director of the 8 de Janeiro reboot of January 6.

Best Picture: "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Balloon," a Kubrick-esque Cold War 2.0 satire featuring Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, and a floating weapon of mass puns.

The one nominee that, for real, we definitely want to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature is “Navalny.” Watch our interview with director Daniel Roher to find out why. Also, if you have your own picks, let us know here and we might include a few in the next edition.

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