Oscars 2022: Riz Ahmed, Aneil Karia win Best Live Action Short Film for The Long Goodbye

Riz Ahmed and filmmaker Aneil Karia took home the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for The Long Goodbye at the 94th Academy Awards yesterday. The rapper-actor also co-wrote the short film, which was inspired by his 2021 album of the same name.

Cinestaan Curates: The Long Goodbye is an emotional, visceral response to intolerance

While Ahmed and Karia received their first Oscars for the critically acclaimed project, the actor was nominated for Best Actor last year for his performance in Sound of Metal (2019) in which he played a drummer who gradually loses his hearing.

Oscars 2022: Sound designer Resul Pookutty urges this year’s winners to keep mum in protest

The live action short category was presented before the ceremony went live globally and in Ahmed’s edited acceptance speech, the 39-year-old performer stated, “In such divided times, we believe that the role of story is to remind us there is no us and them. There is 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.”

Despite the organizers editing down eight categories, the 94th edition ran longer than last year’s truncated edition, which was moved to a different location due to the COVID-19 pandemic.