76th Annual Academy Awards News!!

[cine]

Fuck, this is so depressing. ANOTHER reason to hate the MPAA.
This is especially sad for films like Lost in Translation and American Splendor.

[MacGuffin]

Critics Axe '03 Awards After Screener Ban

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has canceled its 2003 awards to protest an industry ban on sending special DVDs and videos to award voters.

The association voted Saturday not to hand out the awards, which can boost interest in a film and predict its Oscar chances. Members said they would consider resuming the awards if the studios again hand out videos and DVDs of new films.

The major studios and their trade group, the Motion Picture Association of America, agreed in September to stop sending "screener" copies to the 5,600 Academy Awards voters and other groups that hand out awards, including the Los Angeles Film Critics and the National Society of Film Critics.

The studios hoped to prevent piracy, but the decision angered supporters of smaller movies who say voters may miss independent pictures if they have to see them at screenings in theaters. Opponents of the ban say screener distribution has led to several Academy Awards for smaller films, include best actress wins for Halle Berry in 2001's "Monster's Ball" and Hilary Swank in 1999's "Boys Don't Cry."

Ella Taylor, a critic for the LA Weekly, suggested the cancellation and said she hoped other critics groups also would withhold awards. She said there were many films released toward the end of the year, and that voters may not be able to see them all without screeners.

"Unless they rescind the ban we just don't feel that we can really do our work properly," she said.

Jean Oppenheimer, the president of the association, said many critics see films in theaters but use screener copies to view films again as they decide the best pictures of the year.

"This really helps inform us better," said Oppenheimer, who reviews films for New Times, National Public Radio and other outlets.

MPAA officials did not immediately return calls for comment Sunday.

[MacGuffin]

MPAA, Studios Near Compromise on 'Screener' Ban

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's major film studios are close to an agreement to lift its controversial ban on "screener" tapes of movies vying for Oscars and other awards, a source who knew of the effort said on Monday.

The plan would call for the studios to send out only videotapes of the films, not DVDs, and each tape would be coded with the recipient's name for tracking purposes.

If a tape is illegally copied, or "pirated," for resale on black markets or digitized for Internet downloading, the tape's recipient would be sanctioned, and punishment could include dismissal from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, the U.S. film industry's top honors.

"I don't think the Academy or anybody in the industry would risk that kind of embarrassment," said the source. "Hollywood is a small town, and everybody would know who was caught."

[SHAFTR]

I hate Billy Crystal.  Only movie I could stand him in was When Harry Met Sally.

[Fernando]

MPAA Calls Screener Ceasefire

There's been hair-pulling, name-calling and a fair bit of general sulking but the great MPAA screener war has finally come to an end. For those of you just joining us, this little conflict kicked off when the Motion Picture Association of America made the dubious decision not to allow screener tapes for films in competition at this year's Oscars and similar events. Intended to curb piracy, the move put indie films with limited distribution at a distinct disadvantage to their studio cousins and half of Hollywood immediately went into an uproar.

Well, after weeks of bickering a compromise has now been reached. The compromise will allow films to be sent out only in VHS format (no nice DVDs this year, sorry voters) with anti-piracy steps taken to ensure they don't swiftly appear on the Net. These screeners will also only be made available to Academy members, leaving Screen Actors Guild voters to catch their nominees in theatres.

While many are still disgruntled, most are just pleased that the whole debacle has come to an end and the MPAA and AMPAS have finally caved under the sheer weight of opposition. Watermarking and other anti-piracy steps will be implemented at studio discretion and AMPAS has declared that, should a pirate copy be traced back to the member it was sent to, said member will be summarily expelled from the Academy. So there.

http://www.empireonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?story=5112

[Gloria]

Further proof that the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

[©brad]

vhs? they still make those?

[MacGuffin]

Indies Win in Case Against MPAA; Screeners Allowed

Citing an "unlawful restraint of trade" by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Federal Judge Michael B. Mukasey in New York struck down the MPAA's ban on awards screeners. He said Friday that the ban by the Motion Picture Association of America would significantly harm independent film and granted a preliminary injunction to prohibit the ban, effective immediately.

"The plaintiffs have shown that they are at risk of loss of revenue as a result of the screener ban," Judge Mukasey said Friday in his decision allowing the distribution of screeners to all guilds and critics groups beyond just the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The MPAA, which had announced a modified ban on October 23, is vowing to appeal the decision, chief Jack Valenti said Friday in a statement. The organization has yet to announce a timeline for its appeal.

In his brief official order, Judge Mukasey said that the MPAA "is preliminarily enjoined from taking any action to implement the ban on awards screeners as described in its press release dated October 23rd, 2003." [A transcript of the official order is published at the end of this story.]

The group of plaintiffs that joined forces to file suit against the MPAA included Antidote International Films, Elemental Films, Forensic Films, GreeneStreet Films, Head Quarter Pictures, Independent Digital Entertainment, Independent Entertainment, Killer Films, Open City Films, Paradigm Consulting, Salty Features, Sandcastle 5 Productions, Sanford/Pillsbury Productions, Talking Wall Pictures, This is That Corporation, IFP/Los Angeles, and IFP/New York. The coalition have been battling the ban since it was first announced on September 30th. The plaintiffs said that the ban would prevent the smaller films that they produce from gaining wider awareness from the Golden Globe awards, Screen Actors Guild awards, and film critics groups. Critics in Los Angeles and Chicago canceled their awards this year in solidarity with the independent producers.

"Today's ruling is a victory for ALL sectors of the motion picture industry, and a real win for consumers who will continue to have access and awareness of the broadest possible range of movies," the victorious plaintiffs said in a statement Friday.

In his statement, MPAA head Valenti said, "From day one, the screener policy has been about one thing: preserving the future of our industry for filmmakers of all sizes by curtailing piracy. We know, without dispute, that in the past screeners have been sources for pirated goods both domestically and overseas. We will appeal because the impact and growing threat of piracy is real and must be addressed wherever it appears."

"All studios are now free to send out awards screeners for films as they see fit," said plaintiff attorney Greg Curtner in a statement Friday. "We look forward to seeing the results of fair competition. We stand ready to meet with the MPAA and discuss putting this ill-advised and poorly conceived screener ban behind all of us."

Plaintiffs Ted Hope, Michelle Byrd of IFP/New York, and Josh Astrachan of Sandcastle 5 productions were in court for the announcement of the decision that took Judge Mukasey more than 45 minutes to read into the record on Friday morning. After the decision, a beaming Hope was surrounded by reporters outside the courtroom Friday.

"We felt that independent film and the audiences that enjoy independent film were jeopardized," Hope, a producer on "American Splendor, "21 Grams," and other films said. He and Byrd were then met by a handful of photographers as they emerged from the Lower Manhattan courthouse into a blowing snowstorm.

"Independent films depend heavily on exposure to critics, and critical acclaim," Judge Mukasey concluded, in reading his ruling. "The harm to plaintiffs is significant," he said, adding that the group had "proven an anti-trust injury."

Judge Mukasey said that "perhaps the most significant evidence" in the case involved "the conduct of the MPAA and its member [studios]." He said that he was struck by MPAA chief Jack Valenti's testimony that the ban had been designed to prevent the competitive distribution companies from trying to "take advantage of each other by sending out screeners." He added that the MPAA did not prove that significant piracy was caused by awards screeners.

The comments of three specialty division heads also played a role in Judge Mukasey decision. The Judge cited numerous portions of the testimony by Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein, presented to the court in the form of a declaration. Weinstein was the only specialty division head to speak out against the ban in this case. Warner Independent Pictures president Mark Gill testified as an MPAA witness; the judge said that Gill's comments proved to him that independent films are delicate projects that require unique promotion. The inadvertent comments of Fox Searchlight president Peter Rice also had an impact on the decision. The Judge said that he struck by the testimony of producer Jeff Levy-Hinte which detailed an email exchange between he and Rice. In the exchange Rice told Levy-Hinte that he wanted to send out screeners of the producer's film, "Thirteen," but that his hands were tied by the screener ban.

Specialty division heads and their staff at the various Indiewood companies were buzzing Friday afternoon as word of the decision hit. Many were crafting responses and discussing next steps.

"Although we have not yet seen the court's opinion, we are pleased at reports that screeners will now be available," SAG president Melissa Gilbert and SAG national executive director and CEO Bob Pisano said Friday in a statement. "This means that the SAG Awards Nominating Committee will have the broadest possible opportunity to view and judge the work of our members. At the same time, piracy is a serious issue with significant economic implications for the entire entertainment industry. Screen Actors Guild remains committed to combating this problem."

In closing his decision, Judge Mukasey credited the "sincerity" of the MPAA with regard to the issue of piracy and rejected as "paranoid fantasy" the idea that the group or its studio members has designed the screener ban as a way to hurt independent film.

[coffeebeetle]

That's fantastic!

[modage]

i kind of see how the ban would've affected indie films, but i dunno.  i still think screeners for hte most part shouldnt be allowed unless requested or something.  if voters are just too lazy to get out to the fucking theatre then they shouldnt be voting in the first place.  a lot of these movies are meant to be seen on the big screen, not on a dvd at some jerks house.

[cine]

i kind of see how the ban would've affected indie films, but i dunno.  i still think screeners for hte most part shouldnt be allowed unless requested or something.  if voters are just too lazy to get out to the fucking theatre then they shouldnt be voting in the first place.  a lot of these movies are meant to be seen on the big screen, not on a dvd at some jerks house.

For the most part, that was a pretty ignorant call. Let's say Altman's film "The Company" is released and most of the voters are too busy with, say, the new Lord of the Rings movie, thanks largely to its heavy advertising. Usually the voters will steer towards something like ROTK. Now, if Altman was to send out his copy of the film on DVD to people directly, more voters will have access to it and there's a larger chance they will get around to seeing it instead of MAYBE going to the theatre - IF it's even there!  See why it was kinda ignorant to say screeners shouldn't be allowed?

[ProgWRX]

truly... most (or at least a big part) of the academy voters are 80 year old geezers who for the most part DONT go to the movies!! (how backwards is that?) Screeners are usually the _only_ chance a lot of the smaller movies have if they want to be seen by the academy voters

[Fernando]

i kind of see how the ban would've affected indie films, but i dunno.  i still think screeners for hte most part shouldnt be allowed unless requested or something.  if voters are just too lazy to get out to the fucking theatre then they shouldnt be voting in the first place.  a lot of these movies are meant to be seen on the big screen, not on a dvd at some jerks house.

I agree.

For the most part, that was a pretty ignorant call. Let's say Altman's film "The Company" is released and most of the voters are too busy with, say, the new Lord of the Rings movie, thanks largely to its heavy advertising.

But Cinephile, can't they go to see ROTK one day and the next one Altman's? Now, I think is ok they are able to catch up with the screeners mainly for the films that have very limited release just in case those didn't make it on time where they live, but these guys should make an effort to see the films on the big screen, now they not only get free dvd's but they don't even want to pay for a frigging ticket?

[ProgWRX]

Fernando, i totally agree with the point you are trying to make. It SHOULD be that the members of the Academy love cinema to the point that they are regular movie goers, but sadly this is not the case, thus why screeners are needed, especially for smaller, less distributed films...

it sucks, but in the meantime, its all we have.

(this really proves how unfair the oscar race usually is)

[MacGuffin]

Blake Edwards to Receive Honorary Award at Oscars

Filmmaker Blake Edwards has been selected to receive an Honorary Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Award, an Oscar statuette, will be presented at the 76th Academy Awards on February 29. The Honorary Award will be given to Edwards to honor his "extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement." The citation will read: "In recognition of his writing, directing and producing an extraordinary body of work for the screen."

"For more than 50 years, Edwards has had an extraordinary career writing, directing and producing mainly his own material," said Academy President Frank Pierson. "And that puts him in a select and very small group of outstanding film makers."

Edwards has been a prolific writer, director and producer and his films have run the gamut from the high drama of Days of Wine and Roses to the urban sophistication of Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Victor/Victoria to the imperishable slapstick comedy of the series of Pink Panther movies, A Shot in the Dark, The Party, 10 and the satirical Hollywood black comedy S.O.B.

His nearly 50 films also include such memorable titles as The Great Race, Operation Petticoat, Darling Lili, Experiment in Terror, Wild Rovers, Mr. Cory and What Did You do in the War Daddy?

Edwards received his only Academy Award nomination in 1982 for his screenplay of Victor/Victoria, which starred his wife, Julie Andrews.

Edwards Honorary Award will be presented, along with other Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2003, on Sunday, February 29, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland. The Oscars will be televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST (8 p.m. EST) with a half-hour arrival segment preceding the presentation ceremony.