Recently, a reporter wanted to know my response to our film, "2016 – Obama's America" not being nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category. It seems my answer has set off a firestorm of commentary.
Why? I suppose its because many are aware that the process by which films are honored clearly lacks fairness and balance resulting in the exclusion of films that don't resonate with a certain agenda.
The article included some interesting points that beg to be noted. There were a total of 15 films nominated in the documentary category, and when the reporter tallied up the dollars those movies earned, it was still far below that of just one film -- '2016 – Obama's America.' Yes, I understand that box-office success does not necessarily indicate quality, but it is certainly an indication that the work resonated with the American people.
Even those who may have found Dinesh D'Souza's brilliant exposé of the president offensive or disagreed with his conclusions surely could have nevertheless concluded that the film was powerful and hard-hitting.
What are they afraid of?
Michael Apted, Rob Epstein and Michael Moore, who sit on the board of governors of the documentary section of the Academy of Arts and Sciences are responsible for the nominees in that category and are themselves successful filmmakers, but what they lack is the ability to separate their own politics from the process of honoring well-crafted films. And because of that, the honor and integrity of the process is severely damaged.
Shouldn't the worldwide audience of the Academy Awards expect an honest assessment of all work performed within the year? Does this unfortunate example of pre-determined oversight give weight to the fear that future judgments may also be clouded by such actions?
The real shame in this obvious snub is the failure to honor the creative visionary, co-writer and co-director of "2016 – Obama's America," Dinesh D'Souza
Thanks to our distributor, the film is available at retail outlets across America where the real judges, the American people, can still find access to the No.1 box-office documentary of 2012 and render their own judgment.
But Oscar viewers will be denied access to the film that dwarfed its competition in 2012 --and that process is raising questions in the minds of many Americans like me who are concerned that the entire enterprise has fallen into a morass of politically driven bias. If that is allowed to continue, the Oscars may join the ranks of shows like "Hee Haw" and "The Gong Show": outdated and irrelevant.
