Filmmakers Pen Open Letter Against Oscar Presentation Plan, Academy Defends Decision | THR News - video Dailymotion

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In an open letter to the Academy, a long list of prominent filmmakers, including Oscar nominees and winners from branches including cinematographers, editors, production designers, sound and VFX, are calling for the decision to be reversed.

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00:00The pushback continues to mount against the Academy's decision to present the awards

00:04for cinematography, editing, live-action shorts and makeup and hairstyling during the

00:08commercial breaks of the telecast, as a significant number of A-list filmmakers have

00:12signed an open letter calling the move nothing less than an insult to those of us

00:16who have devoted our lives and passions to our chosen profession.

00:19Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Damien Chazelle and Dee Rees are among the

00:25directors who are calling for the Academy to reverse its decision, in addition to a

00:29number of cinematographers and editors, plus past and present Oscar nominees and winners

00:33for categories including production design, sound and VFX. With the February 24 award show

00:38drawing ever closer, the Academy and the show's producers are now facing what is becoming

00:42an open revolt. The Academy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

00:46The letter reads, in part,

00:59In the face of the growing criticism, the Academy on Wednesday released a letter it has sent to its

01:05members assuring them that no award category at the 91st Oscars ceremony will be presented in a

01:10manner that depicts the achievements of its nominees and winners as less than any others.

01:14The Academy offices, led by President John Bailey, who made the original announcement Monday,

01:18don't seem to be deviating from the plan, but instead explained in the letter how the awards would be

01:23presented in the four affected categories. It also blamed the growing negative reaction to the plan

01:28to inaccurate reporting and social media posts, a chain of misinformation that has

01:32understandably upset many Academy members. The upset has extended beyond Academy members,

01:37beginning with Oscar fans and spreading to industry figures as the week has progressed.

01:42In particular, they objected to key crafts like cinematography and editing seemingly being

01:46relegated to the sidelines. Actor Russell Crowe used Twitter to bluntly express his dismay, writing,

01:52In reply to Crowe, Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's daughter, added,

02:07I'd like to know who was making these careless decisions for the membership. I've been a member

02:11of the Academy for more than 50 years and I've never heard of anything this stupid or disrespectful.

02:16The founders would be very unhappy.

02:19However, the Academy remains optimistic for the impending ABC telecast, concluding their letter

02:23by writing,

02:25To read more on this ongoing story, head to THR.com. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Lyndsey Rodrigues.

Filmmakers Pen Open Letter Against Oscar Presentation Plan, Academy Defends Decision | THR News

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