Oscars 2022: Riz Ahmed wins his first Academy Award for The Long Goodbye - Oscars 2022: During his acceptance speech, Riz Ahmed talked about the importance of togetherness at a time when Ukrainians are battling a war.
Daily Times
April 28, 2021
Riz Ahmed did not take home the Oscar this year for his lead role in ‘Sound of Metal’. That honour went to Sir Anthony Hopkins for ‘The Father’. But this doesn’t matter. For by becoming the first Muslim (of Pakistani origin, to boot) to have ever received an Oscar nomination in the best actor category the British-Pakistani Muslim rapper and actor has achieved much more. Namely, the hope that perceptions might be changing for the Muslim and Asian world.
The film focuses on Ruben (played by Ahmed), an ex-addict who unexpectedly loses his hearing and must choose between adjusting to his new hearing-impaired community or the life of a musician that he used to have. This is an atypical role for Muslim or Asian actors.