Oscars 2019

It’s just so ridiculous,” Cuarón recently told Deadline. “It’s a concerning thing, because I think it’s getting more intense all the time. The awards season should be a celebration. I was up in Santa Barbara last weekend on a panel with Pawel Pawlikowski, Spike Lee, Adam McKay, and Yorgos Lanthimos, and we’re celebrating, having a nice time, and loving each other’s films. We were happy for one another. I think all filmmakers — and I’m talking actors, producers, directors and writers — are so supportive of other filmmakers, and celebrate other filmmakers. But then there are some in this industry of awards season — which has its own life and has become its own entity — that operate in a different way than how filmmakers operate. It turns this season into something very competitive.”

Cuarón said most filmmakers want to celebrate their films performing well with the Academy and with audiences and are not interested in tearing down the chances of fellow nominees. “This industry has turned everything into something a bit more vicious,” the director said. “The sad thing is it has become almost like a projection of how political campaigns are nowadays. Rather than politicians showing a vision, it’s about throwing dirt to the opponent. So rather than strengthening the values — and I’m not talking moral values, but the artistic merits of a film and the influence it may be having — it’s about trying to push the others down. I find that very sad. And I hope there’s a way — though I’m not sure there is — that it can be regulated by the Academy. I don’t know how.”