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Hurt Locker Financier Nicholas Chartier Sends Anti-Avatar Emails

by Paul Conneally | March 3, 2010 at 07:23 am

806 views | 20 Recommendations | 4 comments

Hurt Locker co-producer Nicolas Chartier has been banned from the Oscar ceremony for "violating Academy campaigning standards."

Chartier's emails were investigated after reports that he had waged an email campaign against rival Oscar-nominated film Avatar.

Hurt Locker is hotly tipped to win an Oscar after triumph at last month's BAFTA awards in London.

The low-budget film looks at the work of army bomb disposal experts in Iraq and its gritty realism is in direct contrast to its main rival at the Oscars, Avatar, which is one of the most expensive and lucrative films ever made.

A co-producer of the low-budget Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker has been barred from this weekend's Oscar ceremony for denigrating the film's main rival for the Best Picture award. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Nicolas Chartier was being banned from Sunday’s awards show for "violating Academy campaigning standards" by sending e-mails to voters disparaging the 3D blockbuster Avatar.

The decision means that if The Hurt Locker wins, Chartier will not be able to take to the stage at the Kodak Theatre at the ceremony on Monday, Australian time. The film's three other producers are not affected.

A producer on Oscar frontrunner The Hurt Locker has been banned from Sunday night's awards ceremony for campaigning openly against a rival film. Nicolas Chartier, who financed the $15m Iraq war drama himself, sent emails urging Academy voters to vote for his movie and "not a $500m film," a clear reference to James Cameron's Avatar, which is also in the running for the best picture prize.

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Barry ORegan

at 07:52 on March 3rd, 2010

Good story and sure to be a great movie on the cheap compared to Avatar

Paul Conneally

at 08:52 on March 3rd, 2010

Barry I saw Avatar and while it was amazing special effects I thought the story not that great or original - the allegory with the rain forest destruction of Earth and also invading forces etc a bit too simplistic. Haven't seen Hurt Locker looks as though it tackles a real subject not done before - now the fims makers are being sued by a real soldier who says its 'his story'.

Trevor Woods (not verified)

at 14:08 on March 3rd, 2010

I've seen Hurt Locker and it was good, but I didn't think it was that good. But more importantly apparently soldiers don't think it is very impressive either. Just to to IMDB and look at some of the user-generated reviews. A lot are from soldiers who actually find the film unrealistic to the point of being offensive.

Johnmichele123 (not verified)

at 23:32 on April 5th, 2010

What Chartier said is exactly what every single awards recipient at the Spirit Awards says every year: Indie films, hurray! If anything, this strikes me as an example of the Academy's institutional resistance to independent films. Still i think that Avatar was terrible, but it looked good. But that's not enough for me. I like watching online <a href= "www.twitter.com/dozenvideo">video</a> sites and keep up to date with www.twitter.com/dozenvideo but I can't see what the 3D hype is all about. I think in 2 years, 3D will be yesterday's news. Don't believe the hype, 3D is just another gimmick.