John Bailey, President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in answer to the one question he’s being asked everywhere on his India trip
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; May 31, 2019)

John Bailey, the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has had a busy week in India. Bailey, along with wife Carol Littleton, an award-winning film editor, has addressed several media interactions, held interactive sessions, visited the National Museum of Indian Cinema, attended the Maharashtra State Film Awards, and even found time to visit the Taj Mahal in the five-day trip. On the last leg of his visit, Bailey interacted with movie buffs, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting officials and film students in Delhi.

INDIA NEEDS AN INTERNAL DIALOGUE ABOUT ITS FILMS: JOHN BAILEY
During the discussion organised by the I&B Ministry at Siri Fort, Bailey was asked the same questions that he had encountered multiple times during his visit — ‘Why do Indian films have almost no representation at the Oscars?’, ‘Why has Bailey not seen more Indian films?’, ‘What can India do to win big at the Oscars?’.

During his interaction, he said, “I feel Carol and I are being asked questions that really you should be asking yourselves. I don’t mean to be rude, but why are Indian films not widely shown? Not just in Hollywood or the US, but worldwide. I know they are very popular in China, but are they popular in Korea or Japan? Are the French watching Indian films? Your PR organisations, distributors and government need to be asked why — ‘What are you doing? Why can’t Indian films be promoted across the world? The films that we are submitting, do they speak to other countries?’ I don’t know. But one thing you can do is to have an internal dialogue here, among yourselves.”

‘MY KNOWLEDGE OF INDIAN CINEMA WAS RESTRICTED’
Bailey told the audience that his India visit was an eye-opener for him. “I’m very embarrassed to say that my knowledge of Indian cinema was restricted to two windows — the international ground-breaking films of Satyajit Ray and the films which are submitted to the Academy every year. Of course, I’ve seen films like Salaam Bombay! and Slumdog Millionaire. But the diversity (in films), that we are just now starting to discover, is something new to us, and when I go back, I want to speak to the board of governors. We want to understand the opportunities that we have by extending our reach to a country that has the most diverse filmmaking community,” Bailey said.

‘THE ACADEMY IS COMMITTED TO PROMOTING DIVERSITY’
During the interaction Bailey asked the audience, “Have you seen The Conformist or Days Of Heaven?” When just three-four hands went up, a shocked Bailey said, “Okay guys, I’m learning about Indian cinema, but you guys learn about western cinema. There are film students in this audience and the fact that you have not seen these films...!”

When a member of the audience said, “We would be really happy to send more films to the Oscars. But at the same time, we would request you to judge Indian films on the parameters that all films are judged on, and not simply in terms of diversity,” Bailey responded, “This is not an exchange (diversity instead of quality). We are looking for increasing Academy membership in diversity but we are not doing it at the expense of quality. We discovered that because we were so Hollywood-centric for so long, there were thousands and thousands of filmmakers around the world, who have been making films for 30, 40, 50 years, but were never invited by the Academy. There are great filmmakers everywhere, and we need to acknowledge them, and their films need to be seen irrespective of gender, race or ethnicity.”

‘THE IDEA OF OPENING AN ACADEMY OFFICE IN MUMBAI IS EXTRAORDINARY, BUT I CAN’T SAY ANYTHING MORE’
After one of Bailey’s Mumbai interactions, it was reported that the Academy will be opening an office in Mumbai. However, Bailey clarified that it’s an extraordinary idea which can be developed, but he can’t say anything else on the issue currently.

“The issue of opening an Academy office is something that has been talked about a lot, it has been tossed around since we have been here. I think it is an 'extraordinary idea'. But the Academy is not a corporation, it is a member-based organisation. The decisions are made by the administration and staff, along with the 54-member board of governors. There is an Academy office in London that reaches out to the European countries, we also have an office and staff in New York to deal with members on the east coast. There are hundreds of members in these offices right now, but in India, there are a little more than two dozen members. This idea can be developed. I can’t say anything more than that.”
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Can’t we eliminate gender-based awards, asks Prasoon Joshi

CBFC Chairperson Prasoon Joshi, who attended the discussion in Delhi, asked Bailey, “Why do we have separate awards (in the Oscars) for the actress and actor categories? Why can’t we have just one award, irrespective of the actor’s gender? Can the Academy Awards go towards that?” Bailey responded, “I wouldn’t dare touch that. In the two years that I’ve been president, we have changed minuscule things. Actors are strong elements, that’s why people go to the movies. They don’t go for the cinematography or editing or the screenplay. I’m sure it’s the same in India and around the world. So, I will not go anywhere near what you are suggesting (laughs).”

BOMBAY TIMES (May 29, 2019)

Last year in June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body that gives out the Oscars every year, invited 20 Indian film personalities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Tabu, to be its members. Almost a year later, the Academy chief, cinematographer John Bailey, has shown interest in setting up a regional office in Mumbai.

Bailey’s response came after Maharashtra’s cultural minister Vinod Tawde tweeted on May 25 about the Maharashtra govt’s willingness to start a regional office of the Academy at Mumbai. In his tweet welcoming Bailey to Mumbai, Tawde wrote, “India’s entertainment capital has opened its doors and GoM has proposed to establish Oscars office in Mumbai, representing Asian Film Industry!”

Speaking at a press interaction about the same, Bailey said, “We have an office in London, and there is one in New York. Those are the only two standing offices. India is the largest filmmaking country in the world. The country makes up to 1,800 movies a year, which is four times the number we make in the US. There is logic to it; it’s an excellent idea.” He further added, “An office in Mumbai would mean a platform for artistes to conduct exhibitions, programmes, screen movies, and building up a community that appreciates the art of cinema. But it is not something that will come to life in the blink of an eye. It is a long process that will take its own time.”

The Maharashtra govt has proposed to increase Indian representation at the Oscars jury and have a bust of Dadasaheb Phalke, considered the father of Indian cinema, at the Academy’s upcoming museum.