Oscars blue ribbon returns: The meaning behind the symbol Hollywood’s stars were sporting
Cate Blanchett, Guillermo del Toro, Bill Nighy and more stars stepped out on the Oscars red (er, champagne) carpet with blue ribbons.
But why? What for? The #WithRefugees ribbons are associated with the UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, and are meant to show solidarity with those around the world forced to flee their homes.
Lesley Paterson, who was nominated for best adapted screenplay for “All Quiet on the Western Front,” told USA TODAY at Friday’s Women in Film Oscar Party in Hollywood that she was wearing the ribbon amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“This is for Ukraine (which is) obviously very close to our hearts,” she said of her blue pin. “Obviously our film is anti-war in sentiment so we’re very closely connected with what’s going on.”
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“All Quiet” director Edward Berger tells USA TODAY backstage that it’s “just important to support refugees.”
He added: “They are the sort of people that are displaced more than ever, and the movie we made also also caused a lot of space displacement. German history has caused a lot of displacement and I think it’s our responsibility, especially in Germany to help others that now us seek refuge also from the Ukraine.”
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Samuel L. Jackson, “Minari” actress Yuh-Jung Youn and Diane Warren wore the pins last year, too.
Showing support for the refugees was a simple choice, Warren told USA TODAY at the time. “It’s just a simple thing we can do. It’s not political. It’s just human.”
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