For the second year in a row, and, I fear, the last (since I know the Gothams try to mix up their nominating committees), I was asked and honored to serve as a Nominating Committee member for the Documentary Feature category for the 2009 Gotham Awards. Yesterday, I watched with some interest (and a little horror) as the nominees in all categories were announced and feedback began rolling in from all over the internet. While many reactions targeted omissions (Lee Daniels’ Precious: Based On The Novel “Push” By Sapphire seems to be drawing the most curiosity in its absence), other reactions* weighed the relative value of the Gothams as an awards season bellwether and so on. So much analysis, so little relationship to my own reality. Having served for two years now, and say what you will, the Gotham Awards process is about the nominating committee coming to consensus on a list of nominees and, honestly and truly, that is all there is to it. If that offends or is not “serious” enough (which is to say, it does not conform to the values of a good, obedient awards program, meaning it has its own stand-alone relevance outside of Hollywood and box office and the Academy—see previous reactions to Cannes awards, etc etc.), well, so be it, I guess.
This year, we watched 50 eligible documentaries; One of the reasons film programmers and critics tend to make good committee members is that many of us have seen most of the films by the time the list of eligible titles is available. I ended up only needing to see 10 or so films of the 50; not bad. Unlike other awards, say, the Academy process, where thousands of screeners are sent out and screenings set up in order to have enough people see a film to help secure a nomination—you literally do need a ton of money to run a nomination campaign—there is no “For Your Consideration” campaign with these awards; if it was eligible under the IFP’s rules, we watched it. None of the committe members talked during the screening process; we met for the first time during the nominating meeting. Once we got together to nominate, we were given our guidelines for nomination; choose whatever films you like for whatever reasons you like but come to a consensus on each film and the final list. I did ask specifically about the role of New York films in the process and we were told that the Gotham Awards had no specific New York City mandate; we were simply asked to choose what we believed were the best films. Each member champions their own titles and, over the course of a few hours, a consensus is reached and a final list emerges. That is all there was to it for my committee.
While the deliberations are secret, I can tell you that the committee never talked about “box office” or “what other award bodies may do”; we just weighed the artistic merits (as we saw them) of dozens of films and simply made our list by talking to one another and trying to find consensus on the films we thought were the best of the year. Now, how that plays into what other committees and organizations do and why and when; I have no idea. I play the Oscar pool at work like everyone else, I watch the Spirit Awards and feel pride when films I admire get recognized, I read the prognostications of the industry “insiders” as to who will win what. It’s a fun diversion, sort of like fantasy football; it has no impact on the actual value of a film or performance, but its fun to win a little money from your friends by beating them at guessing who will win. I know that award recognition can help people make money and get their film seen, which, more power to them (and to the audiences who care about awards in making their film-going decisions—I don’t begrudge anyone going to the movies—just go and enjoy!) But for me, none of that was ever a factor; I just wanted to do right by the eligible filmmakers by taking the process seriously and by applying my own critical thinking to the group’s decision making. Do I think the final list is one of multiple possible lists, had dynamics and reactions been different among my colleagues? Obviously. But I am very proud of the list we put forth, stand by it 100% and look forward to seeing who the voting members choose as a winner. I hope to be back one day and to serve again, as I love this process and feel a strong affinity to these awards and the values they represent; subjectivity, collaboration, critical thinking and artistic merit. That and a cocktail? Good enough for me.
* A quick note about this; What the fuck is going on in film writing land? Did someone spike the blogger Kool-Aid with virulent strains of pettiness, ego and manic self-righteousness? From the namecalling and ridiculous navel-gazing deluge of “who got the scoop/ whose analysis is best” to the boring Hollywood-as-business blogging (ITEM! Suit lunches with other suit! Suit fires other suit! Suit denies it’s “personal”! Other suit to start stand-alone production business! Suit now 31st Most Powerful Suit in Hollywood!) to the relentless bombardment of reality TV show and video game sales analysis that clogs the indieWire blog feed these days, the contrast in tone and focus between writing about “the community” and “the business” seems stark. The difference? The community folks hold an independent film summit. The business bloggers spend time attacking each other and sniping about the accuracy and meaning of the studios’ Human Resources departments. I mean, good for you that you guys love power and numbers and the business side of film—rah rah, that’s where the action is, hooray for Hollywood, indie film is irrelevant, guys with money love seeing their names in print and blah blah blah. Your ad sales and traffic and “professionalism” are all more meaningful than mine; I leave you to your passions. But any chance you’ll tone down the personal attacks? Or maybe, indieWIRE can stop honoring this stuff with real estate and analysis on its own site? Just sayin’.
Earlier this month, I was honored to receive an e-mail from indieWIRE Editor-In Chief Eugene Hernandez, inviting me to cast an official ballot in the 2008 indieWIRE Critics Poll. I hadn’t really begun thinking about “the year that was” yet; Maybe I’m just waiting for the Obama inauguration and a sense of real closure, but I will remember 2008 as one of the most important, wonderful years of my personal life (first year of marriage, my son’s birth), one of the most trying on a professional level (management changes at work, the horrifying economic deline, the tectonic shifts in the film industry, etc.), and one of the most nerve-wracking political seasons in my lifetime, which is really more a gauge of my own identity; Where do I fit in this society? All of these issues are woven together for me in my memory of the year, of how I watched movies and struggled to keep my mind on the screen.
As far as film is concerned, there were only three things that kept me going and highly motivated in 2008; My friends and colleagues in the film world, who truly define the word “community”, the chance to write about my passion for the movies on this blog (the contents of which have waxed and waned in rhythm with my own thoughts of throwing in the towel and my desperation to fight for what I care about), and a few of the movies themselves, which have given me hours worth of escape, pleasure and the chance to find my feelings in a way that only the movies can.
The ballot I cast in the IndieWIRE Critics Poll is really just a personal snapshot of a much longer relationship with many of these films; It is not a look at my year at the movies (I will post that soon), which would have to include films that were not yet released theatrically (many of which remain the best of what I saw this year) and would not include some of the films on this list, which I saw in previous years but were only released in this country in 2008. I also found myself, for whatever reason, using the single slot for Best Documentary Film to voice my appreciation for Man On Wire instead of including it in my Top 10 and opening up the list to non-fiction films. In retrospect, I don’t know why I was guilty of mindless segregation like that and I can only say that I hope my participation on the selection committee for The Gotham Awards Documentary prize and the upcoming 2009 Cinema Eye Honors will provide a chance for redemption.
The other issue I have with myself is that this list is so back-loaded with films I saw later in the year, which is proof of my own bias for movies toward which I feel less emotional distance. But in the heat of casting a ballot, I had to go with my heart and choose the films that were resonating for me when I complied my ballot. Obviously, the sway of an autumnal release is not a fiction, at least not for me, at least not this year. That said, many of these films were seen over a year ago and it was a treat to find them on the list of films released in 2008, a reminder of their power over me. In the end, I am happy enough with this ballot, but I will be offering my Top 10 Cinematic Moments of 2008 over the course of the holidays. While it won’t serve as a corrective for this ballot, it will better reflect my own year at the movies and provide a chance to remember the experience of going to the movies in a year when everything seemed to be shifting underneath my feet.
Best Film The Edge Of Heaven by Fatih Akin A Christmas Tale by Arnaud Desplechin Frownland by Ronald Bronstein The Wrestler by Darren Aronofsky Silent Light by Carlos Reygadas XXY by Lucia Puenzo Ballast by Lance Hammer Wendy and Lucy by Kelly Reichardt Reprise by Joachim Trier Before I Forget by Jacques Nolot
Best Performance
Sean Penn, Milk
Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy
Mathieu Amalric, A Christmas Tale
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Supporting Performance
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Tarra Riggs, Ballast
James Franco, Milk
Catherine Deneuve, A Christmas Tale
Best Director
Arnaud Desplechin, A Christmas Tale (*gasp*! *shock*! Who knew?!?)
Best Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York
Best First Feature
Ronald Bronstein, Frownland (no,really,it’sgreat,youhavetoseeit, I wouldn’tusuallyjustasksomeonetogoseeafilmbutinthiscase,inthisspecificcase, IthinkitisimportanttosaythatIlovedthismovieandIwouldn’tjustIwouldn’tjustIwouldn’tjusttellyouaboutitifIdidn’tthinkitwasagreatfilm,
becauseI’mnotthetypeofpersonwhodoessomethinglikethat,I’mnot,ormaybeIam,butIdon’tthinkIam,soIthinkyoushouldjustdropeverythingand,
sorry,sorry,butit’strue,justdropeverything,sorry,andfindawaytoseeit!)
Best Documentary Man on Wire by James Marsh
Best Undistributed Film Three Blind Mice by Matthew Newton (criminally under-discussed, I think) Of All the Things by Jody Lambert (criminally undistributed).
(Also, having participated in an awards list for Hammer To Nail, I would have had a ton of overlap with my undistributed picks, but I didn’t want to repeat myself… That list is here and is excellent.)
Thanks again to Eugene, Brian, James and Peter and the whole indieWIRE gang for including me in this process and for hsoting this blog for what is now my fourth year (jesus). It’s an honor to be included and I’ll continue to try not to let you down.
Congratulations to AJ Schnack, Thom Powers and all of the winners and nominees on what seems to have been an exceptional night at the IFC Center. As a Nominating Programmer for the First Annual Cinema Eye Awards shortlist and having voted for the awards, I am proud to have been a small part of what I think was an important process to bring proper recognition to the field of non-fiction filmmaking. I truly hope AJ and Thom will invite me to participate again next year as I was deeply honored to have been included and very much enjoyed being involved. I only wish my obligations in Florida had not kept me from attending the ceremony.
I am going to stay quiet on the winners and losers (except to say that I was very surprised in several categories) because for me, all of the films on the short list were exceptional and deserved to be recognized. I think these awards are a great idea and I can’t wait to see how the process changes and things develop in the coming years. Regardless, this is a very exciting (and seemingly very well executed) first step and again, I couldn’t be more proud and honored to have been involved. Congratulations and I look forward to reading the thoughts and reactions of the film community to the awards in the coming days…
It is a very rare moment in Academy Awards history when my own tastes and those of the Academy align, so please, permit me a moment of happiness; I loved The Departed and truly believe that “in the universe of Hollywood movies that earn this type of industry recognition, the film is…the superlative piece of work this year.” Martin Scorsese makes movies for people who love movies; He is an absolute cineaste whose dazzling virtuosity and ability to tell a story in the visual medium are unrivaled in Hollywood. Yes, I know that isn’t a fashionable opinion; It’s better to be snarky and defend small films (but I love those, too.) And yes, I know that a cadre of naysayers will be bitching and moaning about how Infernal Affairs was a better movie and how this is nowhere near Scorsese’s best work and shouldn’t the real Best Picture, say The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu have, in the best of all possible worlds, won the Oscar and blah blah blah. These ridiculous and intellectually dishonest arguments, pitting Scorsese and The Departed against the exclusionary policies of the Academy and the Director’s own history of unrecognized (by the Academy, anyway) greatness, well, it simply isn’t fair to this terrific movie and one of my favorite filmmakers; You can only win the race you’re in and tonight, somehow, Martin Scorsese and The Departed beat the odds and were rightly awarded Best Director and Best Picture of The Year.
Scorsese, DiCaprio and Damon on the set of The Departed
The Best Director presentation on stage tonight was perfect; Spielberg, Lucas and Coppola, walking out together with envelope in hand, were ready to honor their friend and colleague. It was a great moment and reminder of the incredible time in the 1970’s when these guys were literally each redefining the Hollywood film; There stood the makers of The Godfather I and IIJaws, Star Wars, American Graffiti, Apocalypse Now and Close Encounters of The Third Kind, movies that defined a generation, awarding perhaps the most consistently accomplished filmmaker of the bunch with his much-deserved Best Director honor. After that moment, I was happy enough and was ready to accept that some other film would win Best Picture. But when The Departed was announced, I was thrilled.
Congratulations, Martin Scorsese. Your work has been a cornerstone of my own love and appreciation of the movies and The Departed blew me away; No movie this year riveted me to my seat (with a huge smile on my face) like your film. That is a MOVIE. I am so happy for you and I can finally say, with a clear conscience, that tonight, the Academy got it right.
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