2017 Schurmann Film Awards
An Introduction
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| Okja |
2017 in film was dominated by two things. First, the American president. Seemingly every film with any sort of liberal leaning was pronounced, at least in some corner of the internet, as a great anti-Trump film. This applied to films both big (Get Out) and so small you probably didn't hear about them (Beatriz at Dinner). This was especially true if the film explored racial issues involving African Americans and/or Latinos (weirdly, I don't think I ever saw Bright get credit for being an anti-Trump film, I wonder why that was)
While Trump dominated headlines across every facet of our society, the second issue facing films was more focused on the world of film despite its far reaching effects. This of course, was the #metoo movement. Now I know nobody wants to hear a man talk about #metoo, especially one who has not been victimized by sexual harassment, so I won't write a big long lecture about its effects in the film industry. I will just say two quick points. One thing I have really appreciated in the wake of #metoo is the increase in promotion (even if it is largely still word-of-mouth promotion) of films and television shows with women in prominent creative positions (writing, directing, producing). As a voracious consumer of media I appreciate that it is easier to find and watch more films presenting different viewpoints than those of white men. I will also say that among the nominees (and maybe even winners, I haven't done a thorough check of everybody) of the Schurmys this year there are men who have been accused of sexual indecency, whether it is harassment or assault or something in between. The Schurmys are place to praise the work done by individuals and is meant to be distinct from honouring the person. This is not a large public celebration like the Oscars (though if everybody was to share it enough to make it so, that would be pretty cool) where it is easy to forget that the work is being honoured and not the person. If Kevin Spacey gets nominated it's for his acting and not reflective of his character at all (spoiler: despite liking his work in Baby Driver Mr. Spacey did not even garner an honourable mention).
As for the quality of the films this year, well they were largely exceptional. One doesn't even have to look past the nominees for the Best Picture Oscar to see this. Call Me By Your Name, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water. Those are some fantastic movies. Sure there were some bad movies but even in that group I found something to hold near and dear to my heart (The Book of Henry). We're simply living in a time in which great films are being made at a greater rate than ever before thanks to greater accessibility to filmmaking tools (hell, they're even shooting films on iPhones now even though I think the only example of that I saw this year was the end of The Florida Project) and these films are more accessible to audiences thanks to the continued influx of online streaming options. There simply isn't a better time in history to be a cinephile than the present.
And now to tide you over until the awards start being handed out tomorrow, a montage celebration of the films of 2017.
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| Get Out |
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