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Riz Ahmed wins his first Oscar for The Long Goodbye

Riz Ahmed wins his first Oscar for The Long Goodbye

The short film was nominated for best live-action short at the 94th Academy Awards held on Sunday.
28 Mar, 2022

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, US, on Sunday.

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. The short is blisteringly visceral, harrowingly violent and desperately urgent — all in under 12 minutes.

In a previous interview, Ahmed shared that his main inspirations for the production were his parents along with literary icons like Manto and his work Toba Tek Singh. "That short story is really inspiring, because there’s this one person who says that the easy option is to pick a side, but has refused," he said. "It’s important to consider that maybe no man’s land isn’t no man’s land. Maybe it’s ours, because there are so many of us there."

Another piece of work that inspired Ahmed was Shikwa by Allama Iqbal. "The opening track of The Long Goodbye is called 'The Breakup', but an alternative title for it is 'Shikwa', because it’s my complaint to my country — to my homeland, Britain. It’s really lodging my complaints and pleading with her not to end this relationship, or to conduct it differently than the toxic way it’s being conducted today," he said.

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.

Comments

Imran Mar 28, 2022 04:55pm
Bravo!
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Raheel Mar 28, 2022 06:05pm
This should be headline news
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Chrís Dăn Mar 28, 2022 06:35pm
Congrats from the bottom of my heart.
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Mar 28, 2022 06:44pm
Well done, keep it up and hang on tough.
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Ahad Mar 28, 2022 08:36pm
@Raheel Why? It's not important and irrelevant.
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Pakistani1 Mar 28, 2022 08:55pm
Congratulations!
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Constantine Mar 28, 2022 09:05pm
Congratulations.
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Amer Khan Mar 28, 2022 09:26pm
Brother Riz, Indeed a happy and wonderful day has arrived for you in the form of this epic win. Stay blessed and keep bringing out our stories for the world to see. Congratulations
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Dollarman Mar 28, 2022 10:39pm
A big achievement! Keep up the good work!
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PakSarZameen Mar 28, 2022 11:37pm
Congratulations!
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GreenAura Mar 29, 2022 01:03am
Magnificent work. Ahmed is a real gem of an artist and a great inspiration with his thought provoking performances. British Pakistanis are very proud today.
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moazzam khan Mar 29, 2022 01:42am
congratulation Riz Ahmed for winning Oscar.
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Sidc Mar 29, 2022 04:33am
Hollywood and Oscar now is about political correctness. Colored and different ethnicities have more chances than merits
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Henchi Mar 29, 2022 06:20am
One can only shine outside their geographic area.
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Grandma Mar 29, 2022 07:52am
You are right! We are not alone. Keep up the good work!
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NYS Mar 29, 2022 09:28am
Well done Mr Riz Ahmed!
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Daredevil Mar 29, 2022 10:13am
Well done. Congratulations.
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Taj Ahmad - USA Mar 29, 2022 05:38pm
Congrats to Riz Ahmed, You made it my friend, better luck in next Oscar Awards.
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Atapi Apr 03, 2022 01:56pm
Congratulations to Oscar winners Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed for short film The Long Goodbye.
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Syed Apr 04, 2022 01:30pm
Well Done Riz!!!
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