Petteri Pyyny
20 Oct 2003 14:59
Influential Los Angeles Film Critics Association has announced that they wont hold their annual awards this year at all, unless MPAA repeals its decision to ban movie screeners for critics and voters of Academy Awards.
"The ban on screeners seriously inhibits our ability to work as professionals and compromises the integrity and fairness of the evaluative process," the group said in a statement.
Group says that MPAA's decision to ban screeners (DVD or VHS releases of recently-released movies distributed to critics and Oscar voters) in fear of piracy, makes critics' work "almost physically impossible" due sheer amount of movie releases between mid-November and Christmas.
MPAA's decision has sparked tons of protests from influential Hollywood directors, actors, lobby groups and union reps. It is rumored that MPAA is holding private negotiations with major movie studios in order to solve the conflict.
Source: E!