Reply #6: Moore says it was the TV broadcast deal [View All]

[Lisa]

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2004-09-06

"The only problem with my desire to get this movie in front of as many Americans as possible is that, should it air on TV, I will NOT be eligible to submit "Fahrenheit 9/11" for Academy Award consideration for Best Documentary. Academy rules forbid the airing of a documentary on television within nine months of its theatrical release (fiction films do not have the same restriction)."

(snip to comply with DU quote rules)

"Therefore, I have decided not to submit "Fahrenheit 9/11" for consideration for the Best Documentary Oscar. If there is even the remotest of chances that I can get this film seen by a few million more Americans before election day, then that is more important to me than winning another documentary Oscar. I have already won a Best Documentary statue. Having a second one would be nice, but not as nice as getting this country back in the hands of the majority.

The deadline to submit the film for the documentary Oscar was last Wednesday. I told my crew who worked on the film, let's let someone else have that Oscar. We have already helped to ignite the biggest year ever for nonfiction films. Last week, 1 out of every 5 films playing in movie theaters across America was a documentary! That is simply unheard of. There have been so many great nonfiction films this year, why not step aside and share what we have with someone else? Remove the 800-pound gorilla from that Oscar category and let the five films who get nominated have all the attention they deserve (instead of the focus being on a film that has already had more than its share of attention)."



*personally I think this was a smart move. Moore's already won an Oscar. Getting public goodwill (and also a lot of money for his future work) in return for giving up a shot at a second documentary statuette is not really a big sacrifice. As he points out elsewhere in his letter, he wasn't guaranteed to get it. (Some people would likely see a nomination but no 2nd win as a step down, for him.)