Pakistani-origin British actor and musician Riz Ahmed has won his very first Oscar.
Short film ‘The Long Goodbye’, directed by Aneil Karia, starring Riz Ahmed and written by both, was nominated for best live-action short at the 94th Academy Awards held in Los Angeles.
In his acceptance speech, the 39-year-old actor said that “In such divided times, we believe that the role of story is to remind us there is no ‘us’ and ‘them’. There’s just ‘us’. This is for everyone who feels like they don’t belong. Anyone who feels like they’re stuck in no man’s land. You’re not alone. We’ll meet you there. That’s where the future is. Peace.”
‘The Long Goodbye’ was meant to be a theatre play with rap but due to the spread of Covid-19, it was turned into an online production. Its story revolves around an immigrant family preparing its home for a wedding celebration in Britain. Things take a turn for the worse when a right-wing march spirals out of control and chaos erupts.
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Last year, Ahmed became the Oscars’ first-ever Muslim best actor nominee after Amazon’s Sound of Metal was nominated for six Academy Awards in 2021 — best picture, best actor, best supporting actor, best original screenplay, best editing, and best sound.
