By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --The new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been on the job for less than a day, but already has more than enough on his plate.
Casting director David Rubin has ascended to the post as the head of the organization that puts on the Oscars after a turbulent year in which public backlash led to the "popular film Oscar" being discarded , the host backing out and the show abandoning plans to present a handful of awards during the commercial breaks. The opening of the Academy Museum has also been delayed again to an unspecified date in 2020, and the industry at large continues to grapple with the question of powerful streaming services and whether their films should be eligible for the industry's top film awards.
But Rubin is not deterred by the challenges and is optimistic about the year to come and the Oscars itself, which is being held earlier than usual on Feb. 9.
Rubin spoke about his plans, this year's Oscar broadcast, the museum, and whether the question of Netflix's eligibility will come up again . Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Are show format changes and awards category changes still on the table for this year?
RUBIN: That's all very much ahead of us, but I don't think we and our partnership with ABC are looking to make appreciable changes because we've had tremendous success with our broadcast and the last Oscar broadcast was a huge success.
Q: With the Emmys following suit, the academy seems to have started a trend with the host-free show. Do think the show will repeat that this year?
RUBIN: I would think that every possibility exists on the table and we'll do whatever is best for the broadcast and our partnership with ABC.
Q: Is the producer search under way? When do you hope to have that settled?
RUBIN: Putting the show together and all the elements of the show are our first priority and because we have announced an earlier broadcast date, it is a particularly urgent focus for us. So all of that is still to come.
Q: With your background as a casting director, do you think it's possible that the Oscars might add a casting award, or perhaps a stunt award? How are you hoping to support your fellow below the line craftspeople?
RUBIN: I like to think that my being elected from the casting directors branch will shine a light on the work that casting directors do and of course I was thrilled to read the news that BAFTA has announced a category this morning for their 2020 awards, but, you know, that's the extent of my agenda. I think we'll just see what the year and the future will bring.
Q: Eligibility requirements have already been settled for this year, but do you anticipate that the Netflix and streaming question will come up for debate for next year?
RUBIN: I think it's timely to assemble the best and brightest of our filmmaking colleagues to have a conversation about what is a motion picture. The fruits of those conversations will help determine if any changes are required in eligibility.
Q: The museum is delayed again and just lost its director, how do you hope to get that back on track?
RUBIN: I don't see it as being off track. I think (academy museum director) Kerry Brougher did a magnificent job in getting us to this place and as the outside of the great Renzo Piano Building is nearing completion, we're turning our focus to the inside. I see this like the academy producing a film and just like the release of a film: We'll choose the right moment for our opening and announce it when the time is right and we'll be very ready to sell tickets.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More