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Topics: News, US News, Oscars, Film and TV
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: News, US News, Oscars, Film and TV
A producer for the Oscars has spoken out following the backlash faced online after an acceptance speech for KPop Demon Hunters was cut off.
If you leave the Oscars with an award, it normally a perfect evening for you and you leave feeling over the moon.
That is what you would think at least, in practice things can be a lot more complicated.
This was certainly the case this year for the team behind KPop Demon Hunters.
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‘Golden’, a song from the 2025 film, won Best Original Song as well as winning the Best Animated Feature earlier on in the evening.
Maggie Kang, co-writer and co-director on KPop Demon Hunters gave an acceptance speech for Best Animated Film saying how key important this could be for the Korean community.
She said: For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here. That means the next generations don’t have to go longing.
"This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere."
One of the singing voices behind the group, EJAE, for the song Golden, along with several producers, came on stage to accept the film's win but ended up being cut off.
She said: “Thank you so much to the Academy. Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop. But now everyone's singing our song and all the Korean lyrics, I'm so proud."
Though the moment was overshadowed by the victory speech being cut off by the music when producer, Lee Yu-han, came to the microphone to speak.
Rob Mills, the executive vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment at Walt Disney Television spoke to Variety and noted that he thinks they should look at how to better deal with speeches.
Speaking to Variety, he said: “One thing, as we post mortem for next year, will be to look at how we’re handling speeches.
“I don’t know what the most elegant solution is, but it's obviously something we should look really, really long and hard at.”
Mills also acknowledged that it can feel difficult cutting someone off as they celebrate the moment during their speech on stage.
He added: “Do we need to look at it and say, OK, designate one person to speak?
“Maybe you continue it backstage, and we have a feed on social or something like that."