Detainment,
the British film recreating events around the notorious murder of two-year-old
James Bulger, will be allowed to compete at the Oscars, the awards’ organizers
say.
James Bulger’s mother, Denise
Fergus, had called for the movie to be withdrawn, after it was nominated in the
best live action short category.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences said it takes Denise Fergus’s concerns “very seriously”
but maintains a “neutral role” in the voting process.
It said academy members applied their
“own judgment” on the film’s merits.
James Bulger was a month short of
his third birthday when he was abducted by two 10-year-old boys, Jon Venables
and Robert Thompson, at the Strand shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, the
UK, in 1993.
Detainment,
directed by Vincent Lambe, recreates the police interviews with James’ killers,
by using transcripts from the original tapes played in court during their
trial.
Denise Fergus had said she was
haunted by some of the imagery in the movie and called on the academy to remove
it from next month’s ceremony or for Vincent Lambe to withdraw it.
In statement the academy said it “offers its deepest condolences to Ms.
Fergus and her family. We are deeply moved and saddened by the loss that they
have endured, and we take their concerns very seriously.”
The statement added: “Following
longstanding foundational principles established to maintain the integrity of
the awards, the Academy does not in any way influence the voting process.
“Detainment was voted on by
Academy members. When making their choices, each individual applies their own
judgment regarding the films’ creative, artistic and technical merits.
“We understand that this will not
alleviate the pain experienced by the family; however we hope it clarifies the
Academy’s neutral role in the voting process.”
An online petition calling on Detainment
to be dropped from the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 24 has
attracted more than 100,000 signatures.
However, Vincent Lambe has refused to withdraw his work, saying: “I think it would defeat the purpose of
making the film.”
He said he did not mean any disrespect by not consulting Denise Fergus or
her family but maintained: “The film
was made in the interest of understanding why it happened in order to prevent
something similar happening again in the future.”
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who were convicted of murder after a 17-day trial at Preston Crown Court in November 1993, have since been released from detention and given new identities.
The
Favourite and Roma lead this
year’s Oscar race, with 10 nominations each.
The other contenders include A Star Is Born and Vicewith 8 nominations each, followed by Black Panther with seven.
The Marvel blockbuster is the first superhero movie ever to be nominated for
best picture.
The Favourite actress Olivia Colman is among the acting nominees, alongside her co-star Rachel Weisz and Christian Balefor Vice.
Olivia Colman’s strongest
competition in the best actress category is likely to come from Glenn Close, who is odds-on favorite
to win her first Academy Award for The Wifeafter six previous
nominations, according to bookmakers.
Yalitza
Aparicio is nominated for her first screen
role, as the Mexican maid in Roma. The
Netflix film has also given the media-services provider its first ever best
picture nomination.
The best actress category also
includes Melissa McCarthy for Can
You Ever Forgive Me?and Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born.
Lady Gaga’s co-star Bradley Cooperis nominated in the best actor category, but he missed out on a nod for best director.
The frontrunners for the best actor award are two men who earned acclaim for
portraying real-life public figures.
Rami Malek won rave reviews for playing Freddie Mercury in BohemianRhapsody, while Christian Bale transformed into former Vice-President Dick Cheney with the help of prosthetics in Vice.
Richard E. Grant has received his first ever Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor for his role in the film Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
Rachel Weisz is up for best supporting actress, 13 years after she won the
same award for The Constant Gardener.
The actress will face competition this time from Emma Stone, who played her rival in The Favourite, as well as Roma‘s Marina de Tavira, If Beale Street Could Talk’sRegina King and Amy Adams for Vice.
Films
with the most nominations:
10 – The Favourite, Roma
8 – A Star Is Born, Vice
7 – Black Panther
6 – BlacKkKlansman
5 – Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book
4 – First Man, Mary Poppins Returns
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
