Now there is only one month left until the most anticipated film awards ceremony of the year, which will be held next March 27, but the announcements on the news of the ceremony continue to storm the media, always meeting with greater disappointment from the public and all those who work in the sector. We recently talked to you about how Oscar 2022 are undergoing important changes to increase ratings, considering the ridiculous share of recent years and the growing lack of interest in the well-known award ceremony. In this regard, the Academy has introduced two new unofficial categoriesor the fan favorite movie and best scenealways chosen by fans on Twitter.
However, the news does not end there, unfortunately. The Academy, in agreement with ABC (US television network that will broadcast the live broadcast of the Oscar 2022), decided to tAchieve eight categories of awards outside live television coverage: best editing, best sound, best soundtrack, best make-up and hairstyles, best short film, best documentary short film, best scenography, best animated short film.
Film artisans excluded from the ceremony
The reason why these categories have been excluded is always linked to the need to increase the share of the program, this time giving priority to the main prizes in order to reach a television duration of three hours, given that one of the reasons why in many fail to follow Oscar it is precisely the long duration of the same, leaving more space for dance numbers and comic curtains. To achieve this goal it was therefore decided to do not broadcast live the moment of the awarding of these “minor” categories.
This does not mean that the candidates will not receive any awards, but the delivery of the golden statuette will take place in a totally different way: no longer showing the reaction to the award and walking to the stage amidst thunderous applause, but simply by communicating the winners of the the aforementioned categories in a montage that will be shown at the end of the 2022 Oscars. As if that wasn’t enough, the nominees for these awards will have to enter the Dolby Theater forty minutes earlier than the others, who will instead be able to remain on the red carpet to be admired.
Oscar 2022: either all or none
It goes without saying that such a choice has aroused disagreement not only from the public, but also from the filmmakers themselves, first of all the candidates excluded from the live broadcast. In particular, the nominees for the best soundtrack (an award that is particularly appreciated by the audience and for which, perhaps even more than the other categories, the solution of not broadcasting it live is negatively surprising) have decided not to show up at the 2022 Oscars. Specifically we talk about Nicholas Britell (Don’t Look Up), Germaine Franco (Encanto), Jonny Greenwood (The power of the dog), Alberto Iglesias (Madres Paralelas) And Hans Zimmer (Dunes).
Consequently, even the directors of the films nominated in this category have decided to take the side of the artisans of cinema and therefore they too, together with the aforementioned composers, will not show up at the ceremony. It is a real attempt at boycott of the 2022 Oscarsconsidering that the same authors are also candidates in other categories, considered more important by the Academy, including that of best movie.
Yet it would not be the first time that the Academy has implemented maneuvers that end up self-sabotaging the award ceremony. Over the years we have increasingly realized how meritocracy has been put in the background, just think that great directors like Stanley Kubrick And Alfred Hitchcockdespite the countless nominations, they never received the Oscar.
Always talking about the news of the Oscar 2022the very decision to leave the awarding of a further best film in the hands of the public has aroused quite a few criticisms: with the aim of giving some recognition to Spider-Man: No Way Home (highly appreciated by the public but candidate only for visual effects), to date on Twitter it seems that the award will instead be assigned to the new Cinderella with Camila Cabello which, let’s face it, is not really a masterpiece. All this only marks the widening distance between auteur cinema and blockbusters, with the latter, apparently, clearly ahead.
The new format for Oscar 2022 it leaves a lot to be desired and we sincerely hope that the Academy will come back to this decision and that it will leave the right space for all those who have given their all for the realization of the great candidate titles. We remember that everyone’s contribution was essential, in fact without them many films would not have the same strength and the same impact: after all what would a film be without a soundtrack, or without editing, or without makeup and hairstyles?