LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� The harrowing Holocaust drama 鈥� ,鈥� which explores questions of complicity while depicting the mundane lives of a Nazi family in their home adjacent to the Auschwitz death camp, won the for best international film.
鈥淥ur film shows where dehumanization leads, at its worst,鈥� writer-director Jonathan Glazer said. 鈥淩ight 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 the 7th in Israel, or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims, this dehumanization, how do we resist?"
Glazer's reference to Israel鈥檚 war in Gaza came after snarled traffic as the Oscars kicked off.
In , The Associated Press鈥� Jocelyn Noveck wrote that Glazer 鈥渉as found a way to convey the evil of Nazism without ever depicting the horror itself. But though it escapes our eyes, the horror assaults our senses in other, deeper ways.鈥�
Glazer said he hopes the film will draw attention to current conflicts in the world. 鈥淎ll our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present. Not to say, 鈥楲ook what they did then,鈥� rather 'look what we do now," he said.
one of the film's stars, wept as Glazer's hands shook while reading his acceptance speech.
plays Hedwig, the wife of Rudolf H枚ss (Christian Friedel), the bloodthirsty commandant of Auschwitz. The film was the United Kingdom's submission to the Oscars.
In the film, the couple and their children go about their daily routines 鈥� living in a home just on the other side of a stone wall from the gas chambers. H枚ss spends his work days overseeing the 鈥減rocessing鈥� of trainloads of people, most sent directly to their deaths. Then he comes home, where he and Hedwig share meals, celebrate birthdays, read their kids bedtime stories and make vacation plans.
Glazer adapted the screenplay loosely from the 2014 novel of the same name, but chose to depict the real-life commandant. Aiming for a chilling meticulousness, the director pieced together the H枚ss family history and built the set for their home some 200 yards (183 meters) from where the real one once stood.
鈥淭he Zone of Interest鈥� was also up for best picture, which made it the favorite to win in the international category. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best sound, which it won; best director, which Christopher Nolan received for best picture winner 鈥淥ppenheimer;鈥� and adapted screenplay, which went to Cord Jefferson for 鈥淎merican Fiction." was nominated for best actress for 鈥淎natomy of a Fall,鈥� but the award went to 鈥�
Last year the winner of best international picture was 鈥� ,鈥� a German-language film set in World War I.
were (Spain), (Germany), (Italy) and (Japan).
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This story has been updated to correct a Glazer quote in the second paragraph.
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Christopher Weber, The Associated Press
