Jewish actors take top prizes at Oscars, as West Bank documentary also wins

Jewish talent was front and centre at the 97th Academy Awards, with a remarkable number of Jewish actors, filmmakers, and creatives claiming major accolades.

For the first time since 1937, both the Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars were won by Jewish talent, with Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison taking the top awards.

Adrien Brody took home the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in The Brutalist, a drama that follows the story of a Hungarian Jewish architect rebuilding his life in postwar America.

Brody, whose career has been marked by critical acclaim, won his first Best Actor Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist, at the time becoming the youngest actor ever to win in the category.

In his acceptance speech, Brody reflected on the wider implications of antisemitism and the powerful message conveyed by the film.

“I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression and of antisemitism and racism. And I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”

Fellow Jewish nominee Timothée Chalamet missed out on the Best Actor nod, after taking the prize at the Screen Actors Guild awards last week.

The Brutalist was not only a triumph for Brody but also a standout in other categories.

The film also earned two more Oscars, with Lol Crawley winning Best Cinematography and Daniel Blumberg, raised in a Jewish family in London, taking home the Oscar for Best Original Score. In a 2020 interview with the JC, Blumberg shared how his Jewish heritage has influenced his music.

Mikey Madison also shone at the Oscars, taking home the Best Actress award for her first-ever nomination, thanks to her breakthrough performance in Anora.

Mikey Madison attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Picture: Getty)Getty Images

The young Jewish actress, born Mikaela Madison Rosberg, earned widespread acclaim for her portrayal of a Brooklyn stripper who finds herself entangled in a passionate and complex romance with a Russian oligarch’s son, played by Jewish actor Max Eydelshteyn. The film also won the coveted Best Picture award.

The documentary No Other Land won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

Directed by an Israeli and Palestinian directing duo, Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra, the documentary focuses on violence in the Palestinian village of Masafer Yatta in the West Bank.

In his acceptance speech, Abraham addressed the ongoing conflict in the region, stating, “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger.”

(L-R) Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham accept the Documentary Feature Film award "No Other Land" (Picture: Getty)Getty Images

He also reflected on the tragic events of October 7, when Israeli hostages were taken by Hamas, saying, “We see each other, the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end, the Israeli hostages, brutally taken in the crime of October 7, who must be freed.”

Abraham then turned his focus to the political landscape, criticising the US government’s role in hindering a resolution to the conflict: “There is a different path. A political solution. Without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people. And I have to say, as I am here, the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path.”

He concluded by urging for a path to peace: “Why? Can’t you see that we are intertwined? That my people can be truly safe if Basel’s people are truly free and safe. There is another way. It’s not too late for life, for the living. There is no other way.”

(L-R) Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner attend the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre (Picture: Getty)Getty Images

Another noteworthy winner of the night was Kieran Culkin, who claimed the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Benji Kaplan in A Real Pain, a film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg.

The film follows two cousins on a Holocaust remembrance tour in Poland, unpacking generational trauma in a narrative that blends humour, devastation, and deep personal exploration.

The evening also featured a high-profile and much-discussed pairing of presenters: Israeli actress Gal Gadot and American actress Rachel Ziegler, who took the stage to present the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

Both actresses, set to star together in the upcoming live-action Snow White film, have publicly expressed very different views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Zegler has been vocal in her pro-Palestinian stance during the ongoing war, while Gadot has expressed support for the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.