Jessie Buckley has questioned whether the film industry places too much emphasis on Oscar campaigns at the expense of nurturing emerging talent, suggesting there may be greater potential in supporting film-makers at grassroots level.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the BFI and Chanel film-maker awards in London, the actor was responding to comments by John Malkovich, who said Oscar campaigns were now the only way to get audiences into cinemas<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s truth in that,\u201d Buckley told the Guardian. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to take responsibility for sharing your work. It would be so easy to just go and film and then hide. I wish we could all do that. But I don\u2019t think that\u2019s how it works any more.\u201d<\/p>\n Buckley, who has made predominantly independent films, said the industry\u2019s reliance on film promotion affected not just actors and directors but the wider workforce.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel so proud of being part of this community \u2013 this affects so many people\u2019s lives. Crews, marketing, everybody. And if you don\u2019t support it, you\u2019re not going to have a job,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we\u2019ve given that too much weight. I wonder if there\u2019s more potential in nurturing at a grassroots level than giving so much weight to a marketing Oscar campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Four emerging UK film-makers were named recipients of this year\u2019s BFI<\/a> and Chanel film-makers awards, each receiving \u00a320,000 to develop their work. They were announced at a ceremony at Claridge\u2019s in London on Wednesday, with Buckley and Gwendoline Christie joining a jury that also included BFI CEO Ben Roberts, Edward Enninful and Marie-Louise Khondji.<\/p>\n Buckley called for greater support for film-makers working outside established industry structures, pointing to the success of films \u201cmade on shoestring budgets\u201d, including Obsession<\/a> and Backrooms<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople went to see them because of their quality, not because of the IP or what was deemed successful beforehand,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n double quotation markWe need to support the next generation. I want to know what they\u2019ve got to say, what their world looks like<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s essential that we support up-and-coming young film-makers. It would be completely selfish if we didn\u2019t. At some point we want to pop off this earth, and we need to support the next generation. I want to know what they\u2019ve got to say, what their world looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n The four winning films explored subjects including political protest, racial profiling, female solidarity and family trauma.<\/p>\n Rich Felgate, director, producer and cinematographer of We, the Hated, was recognised for his documentary about Just Stop Oil protesters and the personal consequences of participating in a polarising movement. The jury described the film as \u201curgent and brave\u201d.<\/p>\n Buckley said it had prompted her to reconsider the role of protest in society. \u201cIn our world at the moment, protest seems like such a dangerous act, when historically it\u2019s been essential to democracy,\u201d she said. \u201cIt realigned me and reminded me of how important protest is, and how we can misunderstand the people within that. That we need to understand more and need films like that more.\u201d<\/p>\n Olive Nwosu won for Lady, her feature debut set in Lagos, which follows one of the city\u2019s few female taxi drivers as she becomes drawn into the world of a childhood friend who has become a sex worker. The jury praised Nwosu\u2019s cinematic ambition and her handling of challenging material.<\/p>\n