Studios' Indie Film Units Oppose End to Academy "Screener" Copies

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 30, 2003 - 9:41am.

Los Angeles -- The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), a trade group representing the major Hollywood movie studios, is currently debating a plan to help thwart piracy by ending the long-running practice of distributing "screener" copies of films up for Academy Awards on VHS and DVD to Academy members who vote on the Oscars. Although the studios were reportedly close to ratifying the notion on Monday, the independent film units at these studios and others are against the idea, proposed by MPAA CEO Jack Valenti, IndieWire.com reported. Specialty film companies within the major film studios include Miramax, Sony Pictures Classics, United Artists, Paramount Classics, Fox Searchlight, Focus Features, Warner Independent Pictures, New Line Cinema and Fine Line Features. "Obviously, it's a savage blow to any non-wide release film with Academy aspirations," Magnolia Pictures chief Eamonn Bowles told IndieWire. "If a film is not readily available to Academy voters, it will suffer greatly. Since the complex, higher-quality films are rarely the ones given saturated releases, obviously they'll be the ones hurt the most, regardless of their worthiness."
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