The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chose to shut out "The Passion" from all the major nominations. "The Passion" was awarded nominations for Cinematography, Music (Score), and Makeup, but in the most important categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay - and in all the acting categories - the movie was completely ignored.
Instead, the Academy chose to reward such artistically safe films as "The Aviator" with eleven nominations, "Million Dollar Baby" with seven nominations, "Finding Neverland" with seven nominations, "Ray" with six nominations, and "Sideways" with five nominations. "The Incredibles," a film popular with conservatives because of its intelligence and apparent Ayn Randian themes, received four nominations. The extraordinary Chinese masterpiece "Hero" was ignored, and its follow-up "The House of Flying Daggers" received only one nomination.
Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" - a film that was mendacious and morally reprehensible, but also one of the boldest films of the year - received no nominations. Slain Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh's "Submission" did not receive any nominations.
By all but ignoring "The Passion," and completely ignoring "Hero," "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Submission" the Academy lost the chance to actually be of significance this year.
These films were either the artistically most accomplished and original - or the most controversial and impactful - of the year. The films that were nominated for Best Picture - "The Aviator," "Finding Neverland," "Million Dollar Baby," "Sideways," and "Ray" were all films that artistically played it safe. None of them had the impact of "The Passion," generated the controversy of "Fahrenheit 9/11," were as daring as "Submission," or as visually stunning and profound as "Hero."
For the most part, the Best Picture nominees were handsomely mounted, tastefully executed mediocrities that will be forgotten within a year. The film industry claims to seek artistically daring, personal films - of the sort that were last produced in the 70's - but when these films are produced at great effort and personal cost by such artists as Mel Gibson, Zhang Yimou, and Theo Van Gogh - the film industry ignores them.
Giving "The Passion" only three nominations in the categories of Cinematography, Music (Score) and Makeup (as many nominations as the comic-book movie "Spiderman 2," the lugubrious musical "The Phantom of the Opera," and the abortion film "Vera Drake") certainly reveals a strange set of priorities on the part of the film industry. Years from now, the public probably will not recall that the most memorable aspect of "The Passion" was its makeup or its music. What the public will remember is Mel Gibson's bold and deeply personal conception of the film, the excellent writing, editing and art direction - and most of all, the powerful acting of Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Monica Bellucci and Hristo Shopov. These film artists took great risks, suffered for their work (literally, in the case of Jim Caviezel), and achieved a depth and profundity rarely seen in film.
Years from now, history will remember 2004 as a banner year for film, when such movies as "The Passion," "Hero," "Submission," and "The Incredibles" showed that there were filmmakers willing to turn aside from twenty-five years of liberal mediocrity and embrace creativity and individuality.
The public will remember films that actually addressed themes otherwise ignored by Hollywood - religious faith, heroism, self-sacrifice, the importance of the individual, and belief in marriage and family.
They will remember that "Fahrenheit 9/11," for all its distortions and lies, was still the only film that actually addressed September 11th and the War on Terror. The public will remember these films, filmmakers will be either inspired or provoked to follow in their footsteps, and the art-form of the cinema will be the better for it. Too bad the Academy, an institution founded at Hollywood's birth to celebrate its highest achievements, couldn't have played a role in defining that legacy.
Govindini Murty is the Co-Director of the Liberty Film Festival.
