Countdown to 2010 Oscar Campaign Begins

http://www.womenarts.org/reviews/TheHurtLocker.htm

By the power invested in me as someone obsessed with this topic, I hereby declare that the campaign for the 2010 Best Director Oscar is now underway. I realize that many people had mixed feelings about “my SLUMDOG Brouhaha” last year. I stand by everything I’ve already said on this topic, however I also respect those of you who questioned the extent to which Loveleen Tandan’s contributions to SLUMDOG made her an appropriate candidate for a Best Director Oscar.

But this year, there can be no doubt that Kathryn Bigelow is eligible. She is a well-respected director with several highly-accomplished films under her belt, and as of this minute, THE HURT LOCKER has an astounding 97% FRESH score on Rotten Tomatoes.

There were several film festival screenings of THE HURT LOCKER in 2008, therefore it was technically eligible for Spirit Award nominations in February ‘09. Having seen it (as well as almost all of last year’s nominees), I can’t quite believe it was only nominated in the Best Lead Male & Best Supporting Male categories. I’m guessing this fact tells me more that I really want to know about the Spirit Award voters (who let their ambivalence about the Iraq War blind them to the power of this truly important film). Now, however, Barack Obama is President, & I expect the next awards cycle to proceed accordingly.

This is the third time I have actively engaged in an Oscar battle. In 2007, I wrote that Aline Brosh McKenna should receive a nomination for the brilliant screenplay she wrote for THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, and last year, per above, I campaigned hard for Loveleen Tandan. While I failed in both cases, I sincerely believe that I succeeded in making more people aware of Oscar stats to date, & that raised questions that might well bear fruit this year.

Stay tuned J