can someone clear up F/911 oscar thing for me

[movie_girl99]

didnt Michael Moore w/d F/911 so he could release it on DVD so quick before the election? I know i read that somewhere???

[MadHound]

1. You are correct to a point

By his early realease to DVD, Moore disqualified F911 for a shot at best documentary. That move didn't make it ineligble for the best picture nod. However I think that Hollywood and the Oscar committee aren't wanting to play politics this year, so the didn't nominate F911 or The Passion for Best Pic or any other major Oscars. The Passion did get nominated for it's musical score, but I think that is about it.

[movie_girl99]

3. thanks...im so sick of hearing about it

the fundies are freaking out about the Passion not being nominated but are laughing about F/911 not being nominated. It was a shit film about 2 hours of gore.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

4. Excellent review. n/t

[fertilizeonarbusto]

2. No

He withdrew from Best Documentary contention so he could contend for Best Picture. A movie can be released in other media before nominations and still be nominated as long as it was released in a movie theater in the LA area first.
IMHO, "F9/11" was not nominated because most Academy members are actors so no documentary will ever be rewarded with a Best Pic nod-it's not in their interests. Plus, I think Hollywood is not interested in giving the RW media more reasons to attack them at the moment-especially when Hollywood currently has the upper hand thanks to James Dobson's ridiculous comments about SpongeBob. They figure the gave Michael an Oscar two years ago and the guy is still young.

[KharmaTrain]

5. Well Said

I thought he withdrew the Best Doc. considerations so he could air it on television before the election.

I tell people that expecting Moore to win a best picture is like hoping a non-musical wins a Tony or a non-fiction book winning a Pulitzer for best literature.

While F911 was a kick-ass documentary, compared to a full-blown Hollywood production, there's no comparison. The Oscar not just represents the individual as it does for everyone involved in a Production (kinda like being on a winning team). Thus I have no problems with the movie not being nominated.

If any movie was shut out, it was Gibson's...which falls more along the lines of a traditional Hollywood production (choreography, lighting and so on) and that this movie was rejected on both political and artistic grounds. Since I haven't seen the movie (and have Zero intentions in doing so) I can't make a judgement, but from those who I trust their opinions who saw it, they thought it was a poorly made movie that needed the hype to draw box office.

[Lisa]

6. Moore says it was the TV broadcast deal

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.)