Finnish film director rejects Oscar Academy membership

Finnish film director Pirjo Honkasalo has dismissed an invitation to become a member of the Los Angeles based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that awards the Oscars, reported Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat on June 28.

Honkasalo told the biggest Finnish language daily that she would rather belong to organizations where she can influence decisions.

She criticized the position of foreign films in the Oscar nominations. Honkasalo said that lobbyists and personal relations have too great a role in the Oscar process.

Helsingin Sanomat cultural commentator Veli-Pekka Lehtonen noted that the Academy has in recent years tried to change its image of being ruled by older and white American males.

Pirjo Honkasalo was born in 1947. She is one of the most experienced Finnish film makers, with a record of directing both feature films and documentaries. She told Helsingin Sanomat that in her youth she watched enough US films and now wants to see films from the rest of the world.

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