The Hurt Locker producer Nicolas Chartier has apologized for an “extremely inappropriate” email he sent to academy members urging them to campaign for his film. Now it remains to be seen if there will be any punishment for the violation of rules.
The Los Angeles Times reported last week that Chartier had sent out an email asking voters to back The Hurt Locker — which is nominated for nine awards, including Best Picture – and to urge friends to do so as well. Chartier used the movie’s underdog status as a push point. The email, as posted by the Times, read:
“I just wanted to write you and say I hope you liked Hurt Locker and if you did and want us to win, please tell (name deleted) and your friends who vote for the Oscars, tell actors, directors, crew members, art directors, special effects people, if everyone tells one or two of their friends, we will win and not a $500M film, we need independent movies to win like the movies you and I do, so if you believe The Hurt Locker is the best movie of 2010, help us!
“I’m sure you know plenty of people you’ve worked with who are academy members whether a publicist, a writer, a sound engineer, please take 5 minutes and contact them. Please call one or two persons, everything will help!”
The email violated the Academy’s campaign rules, which state, among other things, that an email “may not extol the merits of a film, an achievement or an individual.” In the ensuing backlash, Chartier issued his apology, also posted by the Times, which read:
“My email to you was out of line and not in the spirit of the celebration of cinema that this acknowledgement is. I was even more wrong, both personally and professionally, to ask for your help in encouraging others to vote for
the film and to comment on another movie. As passionate as I am about the film we made, this was an extremely inappropriate email to send, and something that the Academy strongly disapproves of in the rules.
“My naivete, ignorance of the rules and plain stupidity as a first time nominee is not an excuse for this behavior and I strongly regret it. Being nominated for an Academy Award is the ultimate honor and I should have taken
the time to read the rules.
I am emailing each person this very same statement asking to retract my previous email and requesting that you please disregard it.”
This is likely all that Chartier can do in his own defence. The Times says the Academy will not comment on the issue before next week, if there is any comment. Academy PR chief Leslie Unger reportedly said, “There will be no comment about action regarding the campaign violation until after the ballot due date (5 p.m. on Tuesday). At that time, we may or may not have a comment.”
If there is some form of sanction, it may take one of several forms, including the issue of a formal censure, a cut back on tickets to the Oscar ceremony and/or Governors’ Ball, or a ban on Chartier ever becoming a member of the Academy himself.
(Image: Summit Entertainment)
Story provided by the Dish Information Corporation