Joaquin Phoenix Wins The Oscar And Gives A Passionate Speech About Animal Rights

Joaquin Phoenix won the Oscar for the best lead actor in "Joker", and he spent much of his speech talking about animal rights and the cruelty of the factory farming industry.

"I think the greatest gift that it’s given me, and many people in [this industry] is the opportunity to use our voice for the voiceless. I’ve been thinking about some of the distressing issues that we’ve been facing collectively," he said.

"I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes. But for me, I see commonality. 

"I think whether we're talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we're talking about the fight against injustice," he continued. 

"We're talking about the fight against the belief that one nation, one people, one race, one gender or one species has the right to dominate, control and use and exploit another with impunity.

“I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. Many of us are guilty of an egocentric world view, and we believe that we’re the centre of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources.

"We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth we steal her baby even though her cries of anguish aren't mistakable. And then we take her milk that's intended for her calf, and we put it in our coffee and our cereal. And I think we fear the idea of personal change because we think that we have to sacrifice something, to give something up."

There were a few more vegan celebration moments during the 92nd Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday.

Vegan Billie Eilish sang the Beatles' "Yesterday" during the show's 'In Memoriam' section. 

Vegan actress Cynthia Erivo performed "Stand Up," from the film "Harriet," which gained her two Oscar nominations, including for lead actress and original song.

South Korean director Bong Joon Ho won the Oscar for best movie for his latest film "Parasite". Ho directed 2017 drama "Okja," one of the films that helped the vegan movement to grow and inspired many meat-eaters to go vegan.

Joaquin Phoenix has been also credited for advocating that Hollywood offers vegan meals at awards events.

This year's Academy Awards dinner will feature more vegetarian and vegan options than ever. 

Oscars after-party served its guests a 70 per cent vegan menu, including vegan cheeses and mushroom dishes.