Hollywood Studio Heads Hijack Indie Oscar Hopes

If anyone hasn't sold out yet it is Eugene Hernandez and the folks at IndieWIRE. But it seems that even the Indie mini-studios are in trouble.

Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) (hasn't he been in power for, like, as long as an African dictator?) has finalized the controversial awards season screener ban which "will only allow tapes for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."

In recent years, indie films that might have been overlooked by screeners have recieved nominations. The studio heads of Dreamworks, MGM, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal, Disney and Warner Bros have been criticized by indie luminaries, including:

Darren Aronofsky, Todd Field, Richard Kelly, producers Mary Jane Skalski, Jeremy Thomas, Eric Watson, and Eden Wurmfeld, and actors Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and Sissy Spacek. Kevin Iwashina, Peter Levine and Jason Tuchinsky from CAA, John Lesher from Endeavor, Julie Yorn and Adam Schulman from The Firm, and David Schiff from UTA among others.

While Valenti uses the the anti-piracy argument, there is no question that this ruling will all but shut out the smaller independent features for Oscar awards, or even Oscar nominations.