Culture lane

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Culture lane

Sunday, 19 August 2018 | Pioneer

Culture lane

‘I’m sorry for unprofessional behaviour’

Actor and director Casey Affleck has addressed allegations of harassment for the first time, saying he contributed to an “unprofessional environment” on the film set of I’m Still Here. The 42-year-old said he took responsibility for the “really unprofessional” atmosphere on the set of the 2010 film that led to civil lawsuits from two women who worked on the production. During Affleck’s best actor campaign for Manchester By the Sea in 2016, the spotlight was turned back on the civil lawsuits for breach of contract filed by a cinematographer and a producer who worked on I’m Still Here. One of the women also sued for sexual harassment, and both described an uncomfortable atmosphere on the set of the unconventional mockumentary.

“It was an unprofessional environment… the buck had to stop with me being one of the producers and I have to accept responsibility for that,” Affleck said I’m Still Here, which he produced and directed. “I contributed to that unprofessional environment and I tolerated that kind of behaviour from other people and I wish that I hadn’t.”

He added: “I behaved in a way and allowed others to behave in a way that was really unprofessional. And I’m sorry.” Although the lawsuits were settled out of court, Affleck’s name became associated with a long list of men who have abused power in Hollywood.

Director steps down after backlash

Matthew Newton has stepped down as the director of upcoming action film Eve, starring Jessica Chastain, after backlash related to his history of violence. Newton, who pleaded guilty in 2007 to assaulting his girlfriend, also wrote the film, which is being produced by Chastain’s Freckle Films along with Voltage Pictures. Chastain, a vocal member of Hollywood’s #MeToo movement and Time’s Up, initially called Newton “wonderfully adept at crafting complex and relatable characters” in a joint statement with Freckle Films’ Kelly Carmichael. But shortly after announcing the film, which was set to begin filming this summer, criticism of Chastain’s decision to work with the director grew.

“Yesterday, I notified Jessica Chastain and the other producers on the film Eve that I will be stepping down as director,” wrote Newton in a statement. “Since the announcement of this film, the responses, which are powerful and important, have not fallen on deaf ears. I am profoundly aware that I have a responsibility to lead where I have failed in the past. I can never undo the harm that I’ve caused the people I’ve cared about and I carry that shame and responsibility with me every day.”

In 2010, actor Rachael Taylor took out an apprehended violence order against the director after accusing him of punching her in the face.

Oscars to add popular film category

The film Academy has announced a number of changes to the Oscars, including the introduction of a new category. From next year, there will be an award for outstanding achievement in popular film, the first time a new Oscar has been introduced since best animated film in 2001. Details on eligibility have yet to be announced. In a letter sent to members, the Academy also announced that the telecast would now be kept to under three hours, which means that some of the 24 categories will be announced during commercial breaks and then edited into the ceremony later on. This year’s ceremony, which saw The Shape of Water take the top prize, ran to just under four hours. “We are committed to producing an entertaining show in three hours, delivering a more accessible Oscars for our viewers worldwide,” the letter reads. The moves are seen as new ways for the Oscars to appeal to a wider audience. This year’s ceremony saw the lowest US viewership in history and the contending films were mainly lower budgeted fare with solid box office returns.

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