Fake war wins big at Oscars, real-life war fighters left holding goodie bag
Fake war wins big at Oscars, real-life war fighters left holding goodie bag
dystopian movie about post-apocalyptic desert warfare blew up on Hollywood’s biggest night, with “Mad Max: Fury Road” running away with more Oscar gold than any other film at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
Movies by and about real-life war fighters from today’s actual wars, however, did not fare so well.
“Day One,” for example, about an Afghan-American interpreter on her first day on the job with a small U.S. Army unit downrange, was written and directed by combat veteran Henry Hughes.
The movie was nominated for best live action short, but lost to “Stutterer,” a film about a typographer with a speech impediment.
“A War” — about a small Danish army unit fighting in Afghanistan — was up for best foreign language film, but lost to “Son of Saul,” about life in a Nazi death camp.
The 30-minute documentary “Last Day of Freedom” tells the story of Marine veteran Manuel Babbitt through the eyes of his brother. Babbitt was executed in California after being convicted of beating an elderly woman to death. This is a poster used to market the film. (Photo: Courtesy of Dee Hibbert-Jones)
Meanwhile, another U.S. film, “Last Day of Freedom,” about a Marine Corps veteran suffering from extreme post-traumatic stress, lost its best short documentary bid to a film chronicling the so-called “honor killings” of women and girls in Pakistan.
They were certainly not the only military-themed movies in recent years to get teased with an Oscar nomination, but ultimately left holding only a swag bag from the red carpet night.
“Captain Phillips,” for example, about the Navy’s rescue of MV Maersk Alabama from Somali hijackers, was nominated for six Oscars in 2014, including best picture, but won none.
"Restrepo" — a groundbreaking look at a small unit in a remote outpost in Afghanistan — was a favorite for best feature documentary at the 2011 Academy Awards, but lost to a film about the financial meltdown.
Last year, "American Sniper" was nominated for six Oscars, including best actor and best picture, but in the end won only for sound editing.
A documentary that raises questions about veterans' mental health care, capital punishment and justice for troubled troops is on the short list for an Oscar on Feb. 28. Courtesy of Dee Hibbert-Jones
Indeed, military movies have won Oscar gold in only three of the last six Academy Awards, says Laura Law-Millett, director of the annual Washington, D.C.-based GI Film Festival.
And last year was the best showing. While the "American Sniper" losses were widely seen a snub, "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1" won for best documentary, and "Imitation Game" took best screenplay.
On the whole, Law-Millett says, military movies are getting better recognition even though most don’t pull off an Oscar win.
"If anything, I think we are seeing a trend to honor more military movies. Getting an Oscar nomination is half the battle and a step in the right direction,” Law-Millett says.
“It is extremely important that we, as the ticket-buying audience, continue to demand to see more movies about the military experience because it shouldn't be that only 1 percent of our society bears the burden of our nation's foreign policy. By filmmakers creating and sharing more military-themed films, more people will have an opportunity to appreciate the service and sacrifices of our military members and their families. As long as filmmakers keep creating, the nominations and wins will keep coming."
One film already generating Oscar buzz for next year is the just-released "Thank you For Your Service," directed by Tom Donahue.
“It’s one of the most powerful, impactful films I have ever seen,” says Law-Millett, who adds that the documentary will be showcased at the upcoming GI Film Festival, which is celebrating its 10th year in May. Meanwhile, “Birthday,” a short film that was screened at last year’s GI Film Fest, is another contender. “Hopefully it will get a nomination next year, too,” she said.