A Pop Culture Reporter With His Eye on the Prizes

Last month, Kyle Buchanan was seated at a table at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., when, midway through the ceremony, a chant erupted outside.

Mr. Buchanan could hear the chant — “Free Palestine” — humming in the background of acceptance speeches. He exited the tent to find two protesters behind a barricade, playing the recorded chant over a bullhorn, and began filming them with his phone. Security guards soon yelled at him for filming and threatened to oust him from the premises.

Such is a day in the life of Mr. Buchanan, a pop culture reporter for The New York Times. As The Projectionist columnist, he covers Hollywood awards shows and the cultural moments unfolding both onstage and off.

Since joining The Times in 2018, Mr. Buchanan has reported from film festivals at Cannes, France, and Venice; profiled buzzy actors like Emma Stone and Da’Vine Joy Randolph; and covered more than 50 awards ceremonies.

His love of awards shows developed out of a childhood fascination. “Growing up, I was a kid with parents who had no particular affinity for indie films, foreign films or documentaries,” he said in a recent interview. “The Oscars felt like a portal into works of art that I didn’t know anything about. I was entranced.”

Ahead of the 96th Academy Awards this Sunday, Mr. Buchanan, who will be in attendance, shared his hopes for this year’s ceremony and the secret to interviewing media-trained celebrities. This interview has been edited and condensed.