One of the many, many frustrating things about being a sports fan is the way pundits play fast-and-loose with the definition of the industry. Baseball, for example, is a game when it benefits specific parties and a business when it doesn’t. This kind of double-speak sometimes makes it difficult to have a coherent conversation about the failings of the sport. Players are asking for a bunch of money? They should be happy they make a living playing a children’s game! Players are upset about being hung out to dry? Well, it’s just business, after all.
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I mention this because it echoes the conversation we keep having about the Academy Awards. Depending on the argument, the film industry either produces art or commerce, and each comes with its own set of criteria. And one person who has been quick to point this out is “Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde. In a recent interview with Vulture, Wilde discussed the lack of female Best Director nominations, sharing her own conflicted feelings on the importance of awards for artists:
The larger question of pay inequality — if we’re striving for parity, the awards conversation is a part of that. Awards lead to bonuses, salary increases. And we know women across the industry and the world are paid so much less for their work. So I’m hesitant to say, “Fuck ’em! Who gives a shit? Let’s make movies!” Because actually, the awards do affect opportunities and fairness for women.
Later in the interview, Wilde also voiced her frustration with Greta Gerwig being snubbed. “Her film was nominated for Best Picture, so surely she deserved a Best Director nomination,” Wilde explained. “How can you recognize a film for Best Picture and not award that director with the same recognition? And she deserves it.” Wilde also singled out “Honey Boy” director Alma Har’ el, “The Farewell” director Lulu Wang, and “Hustlers” director Lorene Scafaria as other female filmmakers who were deserving of a Best Director nomination in 2019.
READ MORE: Florence Pugh Calls Greta Gerwig’s Snub “A Big Blow”
There’s the rub. Who gets nominated for awards is ostensibly an artistic decision, but the economics these awards offer makes it difficult to treat the entire affair as some grand aesthetic adventure. Until voters figure out a way to better marry these two sides of awards season – and, uh, recognize that Best Picture nominees are not hatched from the head of Zeus – we will be forced to play this shell game of industry talking points.