Anonymous Oscar voters have admitted they lie about watching nominated films, by pressing play on the voting screeners and going to work.
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In late April, The Academy announced new requirements for eligibility for competing films, while also setting new requirements for voters.
The new regulations have been announced for next year, with the Academy writing on their website that unlike past editions, all voters will be required to watch every film in the categories they’re voting for: “Academy members must now watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars”.
It’s unclear how it will be implemented, although it will be easier to track than in that past. Historically, awards voters have been sent DVD and Blu Ray screening copies of nominated films. However, that changed in 2020 with the arrival of The Academy Screening Room, an online portal for members to watch all contending films.
It has long been questioned whether certain films are ignored by voters for matters of taste, the length of the film, or if it has controversial subject matter. In February, four anonymous Oscar voters admitted to Entertainment Weekly that they didn’t watch Dune: Part Two, citing its running time and not liking the first film.
In those cases, they abstained from including them on their Best Picture ballots. However, the Academy’s changes would mean future voters would not be allowed to do that.
With the introduction of the new requirements, other voters have spoken anonymously to Variety about the loopholes in these new rules. The article reveals that missing out on nominated films is not new, writing that: “One executive from the Academy’s Marketing Branch recalls times in the 1980s and ’90s when their boss handed over a blank Oscar ballot and said: ‘You’ve seen more than me. Fill this out’”.
Interviewees also questioned how it can be ‘proved’ that voters have watched the films. “The app only needs to see that you watched it,” said one voter, implying the film could play while they were doing something else. “It doesn’t know if you’re sitting there”.
The article revealed another admitted they “hit play before leaving the house to go to work”.
Furthermore, an unnamed executive said that they would favour films they were working on themselves. “You think I’m voting against my own campaign?” They exclaimed. “I’m voting for my stuff”.
Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks Film Group and an Oscars voter, told the outlet he was surprised at the admissions. “Tt is our responsibility,” he said, before adding: “the fact they had to put (the new rule) on paper is a little bit eye-opening”.
Recently, the religious drama Conclave, which one Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards, saw a 283 per cent spike in streaming following the death of Pope Francis.