Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Deakins Blast Academy’s Awards Exclusion in Open Letter

Dave McNary

More than 40 high-profile cinematographers and directors including Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, and Roger Deakins have blasted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’s decision to not televise four of the awards — including best cinematography, best editing, best hair & makeup, and best live action short — in an open letter to AMPAS president John Bailey.

The signers have urged the Academy to reverse the decision, saying, “The vocal response from our peers and the immediate backlash from industry leaders over the Academy’s decision makes it clear that it’s not too late to have this decision reversed.”

The letter was released Wednesday, two days after the announcement that the four categories would not be broadcast live, but presented in a delayed and edited version during the televised Oscar ceremony on Feb. 24. AMPAS made the decision in order to shorten the length of the Academy Awards broadcast.

“Since its inception, the Academy Awards telecast has been altered over time to keep the format fresh, but never by sacrificing the integrity of the Academy’s original mission,” the letter said. “When the recognition of those responsible for the creation of outstanding cinema is being diminished by the very institution whose purpose it is to protect it, then we are no longer upholding the spirit of the Academy’s promise to celebrate film as a collaborative art form.”

Signers of the open letter include directors Damien Chazelle and Martin Scorsese and cinematographers Deakins, Janusz Kaminski, Emmanuel Lubezki, Reed Morano, Robert Richardson, Vittorio Storaro and John Toll. Richardson, Storaro and Lubezki are three-time Oscar winners, Toll and Kaminski have each won twice and Deakins has been nominated 14 times, winning once. Editors, art directors, and representatives from other fields also signed the missive.

“The Academy was founded in 1927 to recognize and uphold excellence in the cinematic arts, inspire imagination and help connect the world through the universal medium of motion pictures,” it said. “Unfortunately, we have drifted from this mission in our pursuit of presenting entertainment rather than in presenting a celebration of our art form and the people behind it. Relegating these essential cinematic crafts to lesser status in this 91 st Academy Awards ceremony is nothing less than an insult to those of us who have devoted our lives and passions to our chosen profession.

Here’s the entire letter:

An Open Letter to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and The Producers of the 91st Annual Academy Awards Broadcast:

On Monday, February 11, 2019, John Bailey, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, announced that this year’s Oscar presentations for Best Cinematography — along with Film Editing, Live Action Short and Makeup and Hairstyling — will not be broadcast live, but rather presented during a commercial break. This decision was made to reduce the length of the show from four hours to three. The vocal response from our peers and the immediate backlash from industry leaders over the Academy’s decision makes it clear that it’s not too late to have this decision reversed.

The Academy was founded in 1927 to recognize and uphold excellence in the cinematic arts, inspire imagination and help connect the world through the universal medium of motion pictures. Unfortunately, we have drifted from this mission in our pursuit of presenting entertainment rather than in presenting a celebration of our art form and the people behind it.

Relegating these essential cinematic crafts to lesser status in this 91 st Academy Awards ceremony is nothing less than an insult to those of us who have devoted our lives and passions to our chosen profession.

The show’s director, Glenn Weiss, has stated that he will determine what “emotionally resonant” moments from the four winners’ speeches will be selected to air later in the broadcast. The show will cut any additional comment from presenters, as well as any recitation of the nominees as they see fit.

Since its inception, the Academy Awards telecast has been altered over time to keep the format fresh, but never by sacrificing the integrity of the Academy’s original mission. When the recognition of those responsible for the creation of outstanding cinema is being diminished by the very institution whose purpose it is to protect it, then we are no longer upholding the spirit of the Academy’s promise to celebrate film as a collaborative art form. To quote our colleague Seth Rogen, “What better way to celebrate achievements in film than to NOT publicly honor the people whose job it is to literally film things.”

Signed,

Cinematographers

Dion Beebe

Bill Bennett

Roger Deakins

Peter Deming

Caleb Deschanel

Robert Elswit

Mauro Fiore

Greig Fraser

Janusz Kaminski

Ellen Kuras

Ed Lachman

Robert Legato

Emmanuel Lubezki

Anthony Dod Mantle

Seamus McGarvey

Chris Menges

Dan Mindel

Reed Morano

Rachel Morrison

Guillermo Navarro

Phedon Papamichael

Wally Pfister

Rodrigo Prieto

Robert Primes

Robert Richardson

Linus Sandgren

John Seale

Newton Thomas Sigel

Vittorio Storaro

John Toll

Hoyte van Hoytema

Kees van Oostrum

Roy Wagner

Directors

Damien Chazelle

Cary Joji Fukunaga

Spike Jonze

Ang Lee
Spike Lee

Dee Rees

Seth Rogen

Martin Scorsese
Quentin Tarantino

Filmmakers

Kym Barrett

Judy Becker

Alan Edward Bell

Erin Benach

Avril Beukes

Consolata Boyle

Maryann Brandon

Alexandra Byrne

Milena Canonero

Chris Corbould

Hank Corwin

Tom Cross

Nathan Crowley

Sophie De Rakoff

Chris Dickens

Bob Ducsay

Lou Eyrich

Dante Ferretti

Paul Franklin

Dana Glauberman

William Goldenberg

Affonso Goncalves

Adam Gough

Jon Gregory

Dorian Harris

Joanna Johnston

Paul Lambert

Mary Jo Markey

Joi McMillon

Ellen Mirojnick

Stephen Mirrione

Bob Murawski

John Ottman

Sandy Powell

Fred Raskin

Tatiana S. Riegel

Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir

Mayes Rubeo

Nat Sanders

J.D. Schwalm

Anna B. Sheppard

Terilyn A. Shropshire

Joan Sobel

Michael Tronick

Mark Ulano

Martin Walsh

David Wasco

Billy Weber

Julie Weiss

Michael Wilkinson

Hughes Winborne

Janty Yates

Mary Zophres

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