Just days before Oscar weekend, the looming question is on everyone’s mind, “Who will win the best picture?” After reading many articles, I am intrigued to find that this monumental award isn’t about which movie truly was best picture, but rather who can draw the most support for their film.
Of the top nine movies nominated — Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty, Les Miserables, Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lincoln, Life of Pi and Django Unchained – Argo is favored to win; however, the producers and directors of Silver Linings Playbook and Lincoln are working the campaign route, making this a close fight. For instance, Spielberg, Director of Lincoln, took his campaigning to the nation’s capital and, among the cocktail events and parties he threw to generate support for the film, he also delivered the keynote speech for Lincoln’s 149th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.
These are the extremes Hollywood and its executives are willing to go in order to take home an Academy Award. This industry has become less about the quality of the film and more about the people you know and the connections you make. This art of networking is what puts actors back in their lead roles and directors on the podium.
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