Oscar Winners May Hold Their Awards Upside-Down In Silent Protest Over 8 Categories Not Being Televised

The 94th Oscars (which will be hosted by Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall) airs this Sunday, but as we all know, eight categories will not be aired and will be presented before the live telecast instead because producers are thirsty for more viewers.  Many people in the industry are pissed about this, and now several sound editors have said that they are going to partake in a silent “Fuck you” to the powers that be during the show.

Eight awards (including Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, and the short film categories) will be handed out during the Oscars red carpet. Jessica Chastain, who is up for Best Actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, has already said that she may skip that red carpet shit to support the makeup and hairstyling team of her movie since they’re up for an Oscar. Directors James Cameron, Jane Campion, Guillermo Del Toro, and Steven Spielberg have all also said the decision was a mistake. Variety adds that dozens of sound designers, engineers, and mixers signed a petition in protest of the Academy cutting their broadcast. Carlos Solis, who worked on movies like Batman Begins and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is the one who organized the petition and he tells Variety:

“I hope this changes their position, and that they will go back to presenting all the awards like they always have.”

The petition has been signed by many Oscar winners, but they’re not just showing their disgust over the Academy’s decision with a letter. Sources tell Variety that some guild members are planning on wearing their badges upside down in silent protest. And Karol Urban, the President of the Cinema Audio Society, says that some winners may go a step further by holding their award upside down during their acceptance speech.

In a statement, Urban said, “This weekend, the Oscars may be turned upside down as we may see winners from all categories accept their Oscars upside down in a silent show of solidarity with the eight affected categories. We are all filmmakers of equal importance.”

Here’s a piece of the letter which was sent to Academy President, David Rubin, and ABC:

“As a community of sound artists, we respectfully disagree and are opposed to the changes that are being made for the broadcast of the 94th Oscars ceremony.”

“Every film is greater than the sum of all the parts and it only gets made by the joint effort and contribution of all the people involved in creating movies,” the letter continues. “We all make films together and we need to focus on what we contribute in common, not what divides us.”

If a nominee is planning to turn their Oscar upside down during their acceptance speech, they better practice first! Because the nerves from accepting an award in front of millions of people watching at home may get to them and they may fumble with Oscar while turning him upside down, causing them to drop him and his head to break off before rolling to the edge of the stage. Although, that could work as a sign of protesting too. Symbolism!

Pic: INSTARimages