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Saturday, October 25, 2003


Studios reverse Oscar screener ban--sort of

This is a crucial victory for indie films. Without it, most could not win Oscars, meaning most could not have a shot at making any money, meaning most would not get made:

Studios partly reverse Oscar screener ban

Hollywood studios partially reversed their ban Thursday on special video copies for awards groups, capitulating to widespread criticism that the move would make it harder for smaller films to win Oscars.

It still sucks, though, because of this:

The new agreement will allow "screener" copies to be sent to the approximately 5,600 Academy Awards voters, but not the far larger pool that hands out lesser honors.

That means groups that present the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, critics prizes and other movie honors will have to see films at theaters or at screenings arranged by studios. Oscar voters, meanwhile, can watch movies at home on copies sent by the films' distributors.

It's by winning those other awards--or at least getting lots of nominations--that smaller films and the individuals in them build the momentum to make a play for the Oscars. So it's still a really shitty situation.
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