WINOOSKI – When the 92nd annual Academy Award nominations were announced this morning, there was no cry of shock when the best director contenders were announced. While many had been hopeful, it came as no surprise that, for the 92nd year in a row, no Vermonters had been nominated.
As the names of the five male directors were read, Vermonters around the world listened carefully for a familiar name. David Giancola? Harry Goldhagen? Miranda July? One might even settle for David Mamet who, while not born in Vermont, did attend Goddard College in Plainfield. But no, while South Korea got someone into the category, Vermont remained conspicuously absent.
Online commenters immediately began to try to sort out the overt snubbing. One twitter user suggested that part of the reason might be that many of those directors did not release a film in 2019. Others pointed out that their films may have been of a lower quality than films like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” or “Joker.” One redditor even went so fat as to say that some films made by Vermonters were very boring, but that argument was quickly shot down when it was pointed out that Martin Scorsese was nominated for “The Irishman.”
We may never know the real reason for the grudge that Hollywood has for our poor little state. Did they not like “Prancer?” But 2020 brings with it a chance for Vermont directors to prove themselves once again, even though we won’t hear a local name called this year when the best directing award is given. We’ll get ’em next year. 93rd time’s the charm.
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