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The
64-year-old actor said at the Marrakech Film Festival that he
gets excited about the Academy Awards only on the rare occasion
that films he values are nominated.
“The producers of the academy have exercised really
extraordinary cowardice when it comes to being part of the world
of expression and, in fact, have largely been part of limiting
the imagination and limiting different cultural expressions,"
Penn said at the festival, where he received a career
achievement award this week.
“I don’t get very excited about what we’ll call the Academy
Awards,” he said, noting exceptions when certain films grace the
ceremony, including Sean Baker's “ The Florida Project,” Walter
Salles’ “I’m Still Here” and Jacques Audiard's “ Emilia Perez. ”
Penn's remarks dovetail with longstanding criticisms of The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for lacking
diversity within the ranks of its members and the films that
they celebrate with awards.
It has in recent years taken steps to reform and rebrand itself,
but has faced criticism for not going far enough. The academy
did not immediately respond to request for comment on Tuesday.
Penn also lauded Iranian-Danish director Ali Abassi and his
latest film “ The Apprentice " about President Donald Trump. It
faced difficulty finding an American distributor in the lead-up
to the U.S. election in November.
“It’s kind of jaw-dropping how afraid this ‘business of
mavericks’ is when they get a great film like that with great,
great acting,” he said. “They, too, can be as afraid as a piddly
little Republican congressman.”
As part of a career tribute, the Marrakech Film Festival is
screening four of Penn's films this week in Morocco's tourism
capital. Local media in Morocco reported several audience
members exiting a screening of “Milk” during a scene that
depicted two men in bed. Homosexuality is illegal under
Morocco's penal code, although cases are not frequently
prosecuted.
The actor, whose 2023 film “ Superpower ” documents war in
Ukraine, also voiced support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
and called himself a “patriot in crisis” in response to a
question about the American political landscape.
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