*One of the greatest filmmakers of all time believes that “Selma” was robbed when the Academy Award nominations were announced.
“There’s always controversy. That’s why I’m not a member,” George Lucas, the director of “Star Wars,” told “CBS This Morning” on Friday.
The director, 70, felt that “Selma” director Ava DuVernay and star David Oyelowo were deserving of nominations for best director and best actor, respectively.
“Everybody has their personal opinions about what they think should be,” he said. “I think David, who was in ‘Red Tails,’ is truly one of the great actors of all time. And you know, the director, Ava, is amazing. Not her real first film, but her first real major film. And you know, I think they’re very, very talented people. But what can I say?”
Lucas ultimately feels that awards are little more than a popularity contest.
“The thing about the Academy, it’s a political campaign, it has nothing to do with artistic endeavor at all,” he said. “So it’s a political campaign. It’s like — why do we have a tendency to elect people who drift toward not the most talented, best and brightest we have in the country? It’s all political.”
But while he wishes DuVernay and Oyelowo were being recognized by the academy, he doesn’t feel the lack of nominations takes away from their film at all.
“I think Ava and David deserved to be — you know, they’re starting their careers, and this is an important moment for them. And I think it’s a beautiful film, it’s a wonderful film.”
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