Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

And the (geopolitical) Oscar goes to …

Illustration of a world map with an Academy Award statue
Annie Gugliotta
Make us preferred on Google

It's the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday, and we all know that the Oscars often get political. You can expect speeches to reference Russia's war in Ukraine and, of course, US culture-war issues like identity politics. But in this era of political hyper-polarization in America and beyond, we’ve got our own awards to give out.

Here are our picks for a few of the best performances of the past 12 months.


Best Documentary Feature: "The Little Short," by El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, based on his get-rich-quick bestseller "Bukele's Guide to Wealth and Fame in Crypto Markets."

Best Cameo/Actress in a Limited TV Miniseries: Liz Truss as British PM.

Lifetime Achievement: Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for "My Trip to Taipei," a tour de force in DNGAF about the geopolitical consequences of my actions.

Best Costume Design: US Rep. (and alleged serial liar) George Santos (R-NY) as a drag queen in Brazil.

Best Editing: Xi Jinping for ending zero-COVID in China — and all references to it too.

Best Special Effects: The US/Russia/pro-Ukrainian group/we'll-never-know-who for the Nord Stream pipeline explosion.

Best Sound Editing in Parliament/Exit From the Party: Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern.

Best Screenplay/Cinematography: C-SPAN for "The House Speaker Fight," an unexpectedly riveting story of failed votes, failed fistfights, and failed leadership in the US Congress.

Best Remake: Jair Bolsonaro, director of the 8 de Janeiro reboot of January 6.

Best Picture: "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Balloon," a Kubrick-esque Cold War 2.0 satire featuring Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, and a floating weapon of mass puns.

The one nominee that, for real, we definitely want to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature is “Navalny.” Watch our interview with director Daniel Roher to find out why. Also, if you have your own picks, let us know here and we might include a few in the next edition.

More For You

Supporters of the youth-led satirical political movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)

Supporters of the youth-led satirical political movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) celebrate the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in Mumbai, India, 26 July 2026

Deep Nair/ZUMA Press Wire
For weeks, tens of thousands of people in India – most of them young people – protested outside the Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory in New Delhi, to demand the resignation of the country’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.Swaraj Sriwastav, a 28-year-old cinematographer from Mumbai, was among the crowd on July 20, laughing in unison and [...]
A U.S. military aircraft takes off from an unknown location

A U.S. military aircraft takes off from an unknown location during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screengrab from a handout video released on July 29, 2026.

U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS
Iran war draws in more countries as fighting escalatesAfter a few days of relative calm, the Iran war is escalating once again, and this time, more countries are in the mix. Egypt said two ships were hit with a drone in the port of Damietta on Wednesday, just 40 miles from the exit of the Suez Canal, the first attack in the country since the war [...]
South Africans’ risky side hustle
Will Fitzpatrick
For over half of South African workers, expanded access to sports betting and online gambling is increasingly being seen as a way to make ends meet. The trend is most pronounced among lower-income earners, particularly those making between 8,000 and 15,000 rand per month ($480 to $900). It reflects the growing financial strain facing many South [...]
Severe heatwaves trigger unrest in Libya
Farida Dowidar
Demonstrations have been sweeping cities in Libya over the past few days, with protesters blocking roads, government buildings, and even storming an energy complex over rolling blackouts. The demonstrations have snowballed, however, into demands for the removal of governments in both eastern and western Libya. Surging demand for air conditioning [...]