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| source: indiatimes.in |
Well we applaud the winners for
this year's BAFTA awards. Once again, award
ceremonies continue to highlight the sexism and misogyny prevalent within the
film industry. Host Stephen Fry referred to Emma Thompson as 'piece of offal'.
Fry is a man who advocates against homophobia, but his compassion does not extend to giving
women some dignity. Thompson took it in good stride but I couldn't. There are
far too many misogynists out there, with
women constantly demeaned and rated in relation to their appearance.
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| source: mondo-digital.com |
The BAFTA Fellowship was awarded
to Helen Mirren. The award was presented by the gut-churning miscreant Jeremy
Irons, sycophantically standing with
Prince William, who understands as much about the real world as these overpaid
Hollywood actors. Irons says he first became aware of Helen through her theatre
work: 'it was always worthwhile... and because of her it was always
intrinsically sexy', quips Irons followed by an eye-roll from Helen. Irons goes
on to note that, as the lead in Prime Suspect,
Helen was 'middle aged and tough without having lost any of her immense sex
appeal'. Thereafter, a retrospective of Helen's film work is played. The first
clip 'to remind us of her talents' consists of a young, scantily-clad Helen in Herostratus, the focus on her plunging
cleavage, her years of commitment as an actress reduced to her breasts and 'sexiness'
as Irons drools....
Steve McQueen's 12 Years
A Slave won Best Film. I regard McQueen as an incredibly talented director.
Ever since his debut film Hunger, it
has been clear that he is a cut above the shallow rest. His films are poetical
and reflective on the human condition. Above all, he gives dignity and compassion
to his characters. Lupita Nyong'o was ignored for her outstanding performance as
Patsey, a slave. As McQueen points out in his acceptance speech, a star
is born. I applaud her grace and ability to embarce her natural beauty, illustrating that
your skin doesn't need to be bleached or your hair straightened to achieve merit. It is refreshing to see a
woman celebrating her natural beauty. McQueen is right, she is a star in the making.
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| 'Best Actress' Jennifer Lawrence. source: heavy.com |
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| Lupita Nyong'o's heartbreaking performance in 12 Years A Slave. source: youtube.com |
I want to see more women applauded
for their intellect and acting merit, not for their 'sex' appeal. For
her portrayal of the hateful stereotype of the 'gangster accessory' that we
have seen all too often by the likes of Martin Scorsese (this time channelled
by the despicable David O Russell, winner of 'Best Original Screenplay' and who remained grinning smugly throughout the
ceremony - have we all forgotten that this is the man who verbally abused Lily
Tomlin?), Jennifer Lawrence beat Lupita Nyong'o in the Best Supporting Actress
category for her performance in American
Hustle. All nagging, big hair, copious amounts of cleavage and scenes of
bending over so as to reveal said cleavage, Lawrence was deemed more worthy
than Lupita's outstanding, heartbreaking portrayal of an enslaved African
woman, as depicted by an African woman.
Stroking the fragile ego of
powerful Hollywood men that have the option to make or break a film, the BAFTA
awards allows us to see the kinds of men behind the superficial glitz: we
observe Harvey Weinstein sitting smugly in the audience with his trophy wife,
Georgina Chapman.
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| source: contactmusic.com |
Well the circus is over... last
night's parade of elitism in the film industry fades as dust settles over the
superficial glitz and glamour in the Royal Opera House. The winners exit the
stage and leave nothing but a bitter taste in my film buds. BAFTA is nothing more than a self-congratulating
industry that bows down to the parochial world of American cinema. BAFTA
insults the hardworking British film makers that struggle to get their films
into the cinema, ignored by the Brits' sycophantic fascination with Hollywood. Where were all the female
directors? If I came from another planet I'd assume that the BAFTAs were
American? No?
Some of you might be looking at
the stars. I'm reflecting from the gutter....
