Oscar Categories Restored; Yearlong Study Pending

Responding to an outcry from some of the biggest names in the movie business, leaders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have decided to suspend their controversial decision to eliminate two Oscar categories.

By a margin of 23 to 6, the organization’s board of governors voted Tuesday night to continue dispensing Academy Awards for short documentary and short live-action film pending a yearlong reconsideration of whether these categories should be dropped.

In an earlier move that enraged many filmmakers and critics, the board voted Nov. 17 to delete these award categories on the theory that they “have long since ceased to reflect the realities of theatrical motion picture exhibition.” But in a presentation Tuesday night, dissident board members argued that the board had been misinformed and presented data to show that short films are indeed commercially viable.

Among those protesting the original decision were such industry heavyweights as directors Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola and Robert Redford and studio executives Peter Guber, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of Walt Disney Studios. Theirs were among several dozen names listed last week in full-page trade press ads describing short films as a “vital cinematic form” that provides “inspiration to filmmakers and audiences worldwide” and asking the academy to reverse its decision.

Some of the industry’s most prominent filmmakers got their start making short films. They and others say dropping the Oscars would make it harder for newcomers with limited means to win visibility in the industry.

Jon Bloom, who produces coming-attraction trailers and was one of the organizers of the ad campaign, said he was not entirely happy with Tuesday’s development because the original decision was not revoked. “It’s a step in the right direction but it’s far from what we hoped would happen,” he said.

But Jon Wilkman, president of the International Documentary Assn., said his organization is pleased with the academy’s decision to commit the question to further study. “It gives much-needed time for the documentary community and the academy to get to know each other better,” he said. “We hope this time will be used well to increase understanding of the importance of the documentary, particularly the short documentary.”

Describing Tuesday’s 2 1/2-hour discussion as “passionate” and “healthy,” academy president Robert Rehme said it would not be accurate to say that the board caved in to pressure from the industry. “They simply gave it more thought in a month and changed their minds,” he said. “Since this is an important art form and part of the motion picture tradition, we felt we should give it more thought.”

More persuasive than the ad campaign was the presentation by Saul Bass, a 1968 Oscar winner for his short documentary “Why Man Creates,” Rehme said. Drawing from data supplied in a letter to Rehme from documentary filmmaker Frieda Lee Mock, Bass said the short-film form is thriving, with a few film projects (“Encounters With the Sun” and “Captain Eo”) even drawing budgets of $20 million. He noted that Kenneth Branagh’s 25-minute film “Swan Song,” starring John Gielgud, is currently playing at the Samuel Goldwyn Pavilion, part of the Landmark Theatre chain, which exhibits more than 70 short films a year. Another local chain, Laemmle Theatres, books 90 short films a year, Bass told the board.

In her letter, Mock also took issue with the “myth” that short-film awards generally go to film students, noting that this has happened only once in recent years.

During Tuesday’s meeting, board member Jack Lemmon read a statement from the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. suggesting that the board’s motive in eliminating two award categories may have been “to free more time on the Oscarcast for smoke and dancing girls.” The earlier decision was also attacked by the National Society of Film Critics. Academy officials have denied that the television show had anything to do with it.

Rehme said he will appoint a committee made up of board members to look into the issue in more detail. “Perhaps it will go beyond the short subjects and examine what the role of the academy should be in recognizing work beyond traditional features,” he said.

The academy president said he received 100 letters protesting the board’s decision on the short-film Oscars, only 39 of which were from academy members. The organization has 5,500 members. “It wasn’t an outcry,” he said. “Certainly, the people who were affected got upset.”