There were no nominations for “Made in Asia” films at 82nd Academy Awards given in Hollywood (USA) on March seven, and out of four films nominated with Asia-focused topics, only one (The Cove) was able to win.
“The Cove” (Louie Psihoyos), which won in “documentary feature” category, is an investigative-journalism style venture about animal abuse and human health issues revolving around dolphins in Japan.
Acclaimed Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed has blamed American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for step-motherly treatment towards Asia. Asia had produced top class directors like Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu, Satyajit Ray, etc., but Asian films were mostly ignored as compared to European films and many good Asian films even did not make the nomination, Zed, who is chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, stressed in a statement issued in Nevada (USA) today.
None of the four nominated films with Asia-focused topics this year—“Kavi”, “Burma VJ”, “The Cove”, and “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The tears of Sichuan Province”—was produced in Asia.
Rajan Zed has also asked the Academy to introduce a new award category of “Best Bollywood Film” for films made in India. He said that India had the largest film industry in the world and thus it deserved at least one category in Oscars where its movies could compete among themselves. Foreign Language Film Award at Oscars, where only one picture was accepted from each country, did not do justice to such a large industry, Zed added.
Zed further urged the Academy to enroll more members from Bollywood and other film centers of India, in view of their size. Membership in the Academy is by invitation of the Board of Governors. It was unfair for such an influential cinema like India’s, not to have adequate representation at the Academy, Rajan Zed added.
Launched in 1927 and located in Beverly Hills (California), the Academy which gives Oscars is dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. It has over 6,000 artists and professionals as honorary members and Tom Sherak (Rent) is its president, Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump) is the First Vice President, while Bruce Davis is the executive director.