Films are what bring people together. They express ideas through moving pictures. Stories are told by actors and actresses. It is all presented with art direction, sound, and more. They are created for us to watch and to escape into. For us to learn from and grow as citizens of the world. And they last for generations.

Last night I watched the 80th Academy Awards, where hundreds of millions of people came together as a world community to celebrate what all the people that make films have brought us. I watched the whole thing, from start to finish, and enjoyed every minute of it. Being a fan of Jon Stewart, I believe that what his hosting was well done and a success. Some of the big films, I still have yet to see, and I plan on doing so very soon.

I could not be more happy that Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who wrote Falling Slowly from the film Once, won Best Song. I rented it the day that it came out and thought that it was wonderful. And they even brought back Markéta because she didn’t get to say her thank you speech, I thought this was really great of them to do that. You can watch their speech from last night here and listen to the music here on Virb.

Several months ago we rented a movie and it had a significant impact on me. At the end, I kinda just sat there watching the credits go down the screen. And one of my parents asked me what I was looking for. I replied, “Nothing, just the people.” Thanks to all those people that have created the films of this year and of the years past.