This article explores several examples of award campaigns that ultimately backfired due to controversy, missteps, and questionable tactics. From political backlash to offensive remarks, these campaigns highlight the potential pitfalls of trying too hard to win.
Whether it's tricky past social posts, news meltdowns, or PR teams trying too hard to make an impact, here are some past examples of self-sabotaged awards campaigns. Take, for instance, Nadine Labaki's Capharnaüm. The film, lauded for its raw portrayal of child refugees, faced controversy surrounding the film's portrayal of Mexico, where it was set but not shot, and whether or not it was a step forward for trans representation.
Writer-director Jacques Audiard apologized, and the controversy didn't seem to massively hurt the film's Oscar chances, as it ultimately garnered a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.Another example is the tumultuous campaign for Andrea Riseborough's performance in To Leslie. The film, which would have otherwise likely gone by unnoticed, gained traction thanks to a grassroots campaign spearheaded by A-list names like Cate Blanchett, Michelle Williams, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It worked at first; Riseborough got a best actress nomination, up against Blanchett, Williams, and eventual winner Michelle Yeoh. But almost immediately, the campaign was engulfed in controversy as campaigners accused the Oscars of racism, claiming Riseborough's inclusion was seemingly at the expense of Viola Davis for The Woman King and Danielle Deadwyler for Till. Such was the fury it was clear Riseborough had no chance of winning.Green Book, a supposed heartwarming race-reconciliation drama about a white driver and a black pianist in the 1960s deep south, also fell victim to self-sabotage. While initially a frontrunner after winning top honors at the Toronto Film Festival (practically a guarantee of an Oscar nomination), the film's campaign began to unravel as the 2019 awards race heated up. The film's director, Peter Farrelly, apologized after newspaper articles from the 90s suggested he was an enthusiastic unasked-revealer of his genitals. Co-writer Nick Vallelonga (son of the film's lead character) turned out to have endorsed a false Donald Trump accusation about New Jersey Muslims cheering on 9/11. And the impeccably liberal lead actor unwisely used the N-word at a screening of the film. Most damaging, perhaps, was the emergence of a reported quote from actor Mahershala Ali apologizing for his role, saying: “I did the best I could with the material.” Green Book's momentum carried it through though, winning three Oscars - best picture, best original screenplay for Vallelonga, and best supporting actor for Ali - but it's safe to say time has not been kind to the film.Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, was expected to steer this potentially crowdpleasing film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden to Oscar glory in 2013. In the event, it became a political football, attracting brickbats across the spectrum for its depiction of torture and the CIA. Relatives of 9/11 victims also complained that recordings of voicemails were used without permission. The row intensified in January 2013 and without doubt dented the film's prospects: Bigelow didn't make it onto the nomination sheet for best director, and the film carried off only one of its five nominations - for best sound editing.In 2003, Harvey Weinstein was arguably at the height of his baleful powers as an industry mover and shaker with legendary powers of campaigning. Having taken on Martin Scorsese's long-gestating period gangster epic, which starred Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio, Weinstein saw a golden opportunity to nab a statuette for Scorsese, who at that point had never won the best director Oscar. Miramax arranged for Robert Wise, the universally respected director of The Sound of Music, to endorse Scorsese, followed by newspaper ads saying: “Two Time Academy Award Winner Robert Wise Declares Scorsese Deserves the Oscar for Gangs of New York.” Since it is against Academy rules for voters to announce who they are voting for, the move attracted immediate disapproval – and even more so when it turned out the article had been written by a campaign consultant working for Miramax. An innocent victim of the shenanigans, Scorsese once again fell at the final hurdle, but presumably Weinstein wasn't that upset; Chicago, Miramax's other big film in the race, won six Oscars, including best picture.In 1960, John Wayne made his first official foray behind the camera to tell the story of the celebrated 1836 standoff between Texas rebels and the Mexican army. Wayne put a lot of his own money into it and enthusiastically campaigned for the Oscars, for which it was duly nominated for seven, up against the likes of The Apartment and Elmer Gantry
AWARDS CAMPAIGNS OSCARS BACKFIRE CONTROVERSY SELF-SABBAGE FILM INDUSTRY
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