Category: issues

There were 269 films that were eligible for awards nominations this year, and voters had watched, on average, about a quarter of them. “The current system leaves Bafta voters free to decide which of the eligible films they fancy seeing and which ones they will give a miss. At this point, Bafta nominations become entirely arbitrary and it maybe explains why some critically-acclaimed films without a massive promotional budget – such as The Farewell, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Last Black Man in San Francisco, and Us – missed out.” – BBC

Le Carré, as he accepted the Olof Palme prize: “I want a Palme for my country, which in my lifetime hasn’t produced a single statesman of his stamp. I want him now. I’m not just a remainer. I’m a European through and through, and the rats have taken over the ship, I want to tell him. It’s breaking my heart and I want it to break yours. We need your voice to wake us from our sleepwalk, and save us from this wanton act of political and economic self-harm. But you’re too late.” – The Guardian (UK)

Artists looking to establish themselves often get requests to perform or otherwise lend their creative skills to conferences, private parties, businesses and assorted projects for the promised payment of exposure. But what does it say about the value of an artist’s work when a city’s leading arts institution does the same? – Blue Ridge Public

Ben Lawrence suggests that a large swath of the arts establishment is more interested in lecturing and criticizing than it is giving people affecting experiences they enjoy. – The Telegraph (UK)

The cultural sections of election manifestos always make for interesting reading. Wonderful-sounding aspirations rarely have detail. Proposals are mostly aspirational rather than costed. This, presumably, means that whatever the intended real-world outcomes are, they have not been factored in to any budgetary strategy. And the numbers that are given don’t always match up.  – Irish Times

Currently, skilled workers from outside the EU need to have a job offer with a salary of at least £30,000 to work in the UK. EU citizens are not bound by such restrictions and do not need a permit to work in the UK due to freedom of movement. – The Stage

“Assembly Bill 5 is intended to reduce worker misclassification, making it harder for companies to treat workers as independent contractors. … But the law’s ambiguous language — specifically the use of the phrase ‘fine artist’ without actually defining the term — already had led one opera company to postpone a production, prompted other small arts organizations to consider cutting programs and sent others scrambling to raise more money to comply with the law.” – Los Angeles Times

The emphasis on participation – on culture as something that more people should actually do – is newer. This is the difference between being in a play or a band and buying tickets to watch them, and for ACE to play a more active role in promoting the former would be beneficial. This begins in childhood, and ACE clearly hopes that the government will think again about policies that have seen music, drama and other arts subjects systematically downgraded in favour of science, technology and maths. – The Guardian

“The president’s vow to rid cultural and educational institutions of ‘leftist’ values is changing the game at the institutions charged with fostering cultural production.” Here’s a rundown of the changes Bolsonaro has made so far. – Americas Quarterly