They may have triggered controversy and packed theaters, but two of the year’s hottest films — “The Passion of the Christ” and “Fahrenheit 9/11” — have been ruled ineligible for one of Hollywood’s top prizes.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which Jan. 16 hands out the Golden Globes, an important precursor to the Oscars, said Tuesday its rules disqualify “Passion” from consideration for the group’s best drama prize and “Fahrenheit” from being eligible for any award, including best drama.
The group said “Fahrenheit,” Michael Moore’s searing denunciation of President George W. Bush and the Iraq war, was ineligible because it is a documentary, and the Foreign Press Association does not give awards to documentaries.
“Passion,” Mel Gibson’s movie about the final hours in the life of Jesus, filmed in Aramaic and Latin, did not qualify for the best drama award because that category is limited to English-language films.
But “Passion” could be eligible for best foreign-language film — even though no country speaks Latin and Aramaic — and its actors, screenwriter and director would be eligible for awards in their respective categories.
Lawrie Masterson, the chairman of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s board of directors, said in an interview the group’s rules limited its actions.
“As you know ‘The Passion of the Christ’ is not in English and under our rules it qualifies as a foreign-language film even though it was produced and directed by an American...We also do not have a documentary category, so we could not consider ‘Fahrenheit.’ It is a shame, but we cannot change the rules in the middle of a race,” he said.
With the competition for February’s Oscars still wide open, many in Hollywood wonder if the films by Gibson and Moore could end up in the running for top prizes despite the controversy they have engendered.
Gibson’s film sparked a storm criticism before it even opened as some Jewish leaders claimed it could flame anti-Semitism by suggesting that Jews were collectively responsible for the death of Christ.
Gibson denied that this was the case, and said after accepting an award from a Catholic journalists’ group Sunday: “Sometimes when you just want to tell the truth you’re going to get walloped around a lot. In many respects, the aftermath was more furious than making the film.”
Moore’s movie, denounced by Republicans as a piece of political propaganda that distorted Bush’s record, won the top prize in May at the Cannes film festival and has been submitted for consideration for the best-picture Oscar.
While the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s membership is small — just over 90 members — many in the film industry say its Golden Globe Awards can often foreshadow the Oscars in February.