With a white screen lining the back wall and circular tables filling the center of the room, Skybarn welcomed Syracuse University students Sunday evening to watch the 92nd Academy Awards. Partnering with entertainment company A24, SU’s cinematic fraternity, Delta Kappa Alpha, hosted the watch party for all SU students.

“It’s like the film sporting event of the year,” SU senior television, radio and film major Sam Rietta said.

Dressed formal attire, students gathered at 8 p.m. to view the show. Meanwhile on the West Coast, the 2020 Oscars was held at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles.

The Oscars has 24 categories each year. Emily Lundin, an SU senior illustration major, said her favorite category is short-form animation because it is an essential aspect of each film viewers watch. Lundin said the category is often “underrated.”

Meanwhile, SU senior film major Alex Smithline said his favorite Oscars category is best original screenplay.

“The film’s all about the story, and if the story isn’t good, there’s a good chance the movie won’t be as good” Smithline said. “It starts with the pen and paper.”

When the nominations came out, some students had varying opinions on underrepresented films.

Justine Leslie Smith, one of the watch party’s hosts, said that it was a “travesty” that the film “The Farewell” was not recognized.

“It’s, like, completely universal,” she said. “You feel something no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, and the fact that they didn’t recognize it I think is a travesty.”

SU senior television, radio and film major Daniel Preciado hopes that “Parasite” will sweep the categories it is nominated for. However, he does not think it will win best picture.

“In simple terms, the Academy can be a little — and by a little I mean a lot — racist,” Preciado said. “They just don’t care about foreign films that are not in English, so they will not let Parasite be the first movie ever to win best picture even though it deserves it.”

The venue served dinner for students with long tables of entrees lining the back of the room. As students shuffled in, each guest was able to fill out a ballot on their predictions in each category. The person with the most correct prediction of the night won prizes sponsored by A24, including “The Lighthouse” on vinyl, A24 blue-rays and other A24 merchandise.

Rietta has attended the watch party for the past four years, and said that this year, his favorite movie was “Jojo Rabbit.”

“I am really rooting for that one tonight,” he said. “Being at Syracuse last semester when we had some very kind of contentious endings of the semester, a movie about tolerance and a movie about kind of the accepting of other people was very timely.”

Smith said each year the Oscar watch party has a fun, enjoyable atmosphere.

“Instead of sitting on your friend’s couch, you get an excuse to dress up nice and get your friends together,” she said.

Published on February 10, 2020 at 12:28 am