The Timely Accessory I’m Wearing to This Year’s Oscars (Guest Blog)
”I only wanted to wear an accessory that reflected the courageous responses of the young adults who survived the Parkland, Fla., shooting,“ writes documentarian Aviva Kempner
What a thrill to win the lottery for a ticket to attend the 90th annual Oscars ceremony. I am even more excited to be going as a member of the Academy, and pinching myself in disbelief.
I had attended years ago as the grateful guest of my dear cousin, director Arthur Hiller. Back then I went through all the mishegoss worrying about what to wear and how to get my hair done in an elegant style. (Not that anyone is going to care about what a middle-aged, out-of-town documentary filmmaker was wearing that evening or any time for that matter.)
This year I have a much different concern even though the first questions all my friends asked was, “What dress and jewelry are you going to wear to the ceremony?” Without missing a beat, I answered that this year no designer dress, even if I could afford one or fit into its narrow dimensions, was going to represent the look I wanted to achieve in 2018.
As a citizen of Washington, D.C. — whose population is unfairly denied any voting representation in Congress — I only wanted to wear an accessory that reflected the courageous responses of the young adults who survived the Parkland, Fla., shooting and the parents who tragically lost their teenage children.
So, I don’t care that I selected a previously worn, long red Indian caftan that I just grabbed from my closet. The only thing I am concerned about is what button I am wearing.
I was lucky enough to discuss this dilemma on Sunday with a teacher I knew sitting next to me at a reception for the unveiling of a statue of Orlando Letelier, the former Chilean ambassador to the U.S., who was violently killed by a bomb planted in the car he was driving on the street of Washington, D.C., in 1976. His co- worker Ronni Karpen Moffitt also died in this insidious attack planned by the Chilean military government.
Without missing a beat and in the spirit of a dedicated teacher, she volunteered to help me create my fashion statement. And I mean literally make my accessory.
She came over to my house and inspired by words spoken by one of the Parkland survivors a button design was born. Sitting in my backyard this educator produced a couple dozen buttons for me and friends to wear and pass out at the ceremony.
I have always thought that teachers are so grossly underpaid and taken for granted for all they do in our society. And this educator, who prefers to remain anonymous, is a gracious phantom thread to my Oscar costume.
So thanks to this preschool teacher, armed only with her creativity and crayons, and with no desire to ever arm herself with a gun in the classroom, I possess the grandest of fashion statements for the Oscars, in honor of educator Scott Beigel and coach Aaron Feis, who lost their lives protecting students.
As a Washingtonian who is most upset that Congress time and time again has not passed stricter gun control measures to allow our children to go to school in a safe environment, this is what I am going to wear on Sunday.
Photo by Aviva Kempner
All the Oscar-Nominated Movies You Can Watch at Home Right Now
The Oscars are almost here, but you don't have to head to the theater to catch up on all the nominees you missed -- most of the major nominees you can watch from the comfort of your living room. Here you'll find the list of every Oscar nominee available for home viewing and where you can find them.
"Abacus: Small Enough to Jail"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Documentary Feature. Available with an Amazon Prime subscription and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
“Baby Driver”
Three Oscar nominations, for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Film Editing. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, as well as for rent or purchase from streaming retailers.
"Beauty and the Beast"
Two Oscar nominations, for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent or purchase from streaming retailers.
"The Big Sick"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Original Screenplay. Available on Amazon Prime, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Blade Runner 2049"
Five Oscar nominations, for Best Visual Effects, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Production Design and Cinematography. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent or purchase from streaming retailers.
"The Boss Baby"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Animated Feature. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, on Netflix, and for rent or purchase from streaming retailers.
"The Breadwinner"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Animated Feature. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, on Netflix, and for rent or purchase from streaming retailers.
"Call Me By Your Name"
Four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song. Available for purchase from streaming retailers.
"Coco"
Two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent or purchase from streaming retailers.
"Darkest Hour"
Six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Actor, Cinematography, Production Design, Makeup & Hair, and Costume Design. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"The Disaster Artist"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Adapted Screenplay. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Dunkirk"
Eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Production Design, Film Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Original Score. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent or purchase from streaming retailers.
"Faces Places"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Documentary. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and for purchase from streaming retailers.
"Ferdinand"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Animated Feature. Available for purchase from streaming retailers.
"The Florida Project"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Get Out"
Four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Original Screenplay. Available on HBO and its streaming platforms, as well as DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Visual Effects. Available on Netflix, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Kong: Skull Island"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Visual Effects. Available on Netflix, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Lady Bird"
Five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Orignal Screenplay, Actress and Supporting Actress. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Last Men in Aleppo"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Documentary Feature. Available on DVD, on Netflix, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Logan"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Adapted Screenplay. Available on HBO and its streaming platforms, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Loving Vincent"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Animated Feature. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Marshall"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Original Song for "Stand Up for Something" by Common and Diane Warren. Available on Netflix, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Mudbound"
Four Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song and Cinematography. Available on Netflix.
"Roman J. Israel, Esq."
One Oscar nomination, for Best Actor. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent or purchase from streaming services.
"The Shape of Water"
Thirteen Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor and Cinematography. Available for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"The Square"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Foreign Language Film. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Strong Island"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Documentary. Available on Netflix.
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actor and Original Screenplay. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"War for the Planet of the Apes"
One Oscar nomination, for Best Visual Effects. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Wonder"
One Oscar nomination, for Makeup and Hairstyling. Available on Netflix, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
"Victoria & Abdul"
Two Oscar nominations, for Best Costume Design and Hair and Makeup. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and for rent and purchase from streaming retailers.
The Oscar nominated short films in the live action, animation and documentary categories can all be streamed for free on Shorts.tv.
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Prep for the Oscars by checking out most of the nominated films from the comfort of your couch
The Oscars are almost here, but you don't have to head to the theater to catch up on all the nominees you missed -- most of the major nominees you can watch from the comfort of your living room. Here you'll find the list of every Oscar nominee available for home viewing and where you can find them.
Aviva Kempner is the co-director with Ben West (Cheyenne) of "Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting" documentary. Jessie Atkin is the communications coordinator for the documentary.
