Oscar Winners 'Undefeated' filmakers apologize for the F-Bomb
The makers of the Best Documentary Feature "Undefeated," have issued an apology for dropping the F-bomb in their acceptance speech, which producers were forced to cut at 45 seconds.
"It wasn't the classiest thing," admitted Martin. "But it did come from the heart."
Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin and Richard Middlemas were apologetic, backstage. Lindsay said they wanted to dedicate the award before they were cut off, to the community of North Memphis where the film about an inner-city high school football team was based.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"It was heartbreaking," said Lindsay about being cut off before they could thank them. "Because we wouldn't be here without them."
"We can't thank the community of North Memphis enough," Martin added.
Martin said he is pleased the film about a white coach and an all black football team has sparked important conversations. Though making the film he realized that issues of race and class were not even an issue for this team.
"It was not our duty to bring that element into it if it wasn't an element for them. But that said, the whole point of it was to elicit and inspire a conversation about race and class."
Lindsay said besides the theme another reason he thinks the film won was the filmmaking technology they used. "It's partly because of the technology - you can tell stories you couldn't tell before," he said. "And people are clamoring for something genuine. I think we're sick of manufactured."
The emotionally impacting film was shot with hand-held cameras over nine months.
Other contenders in the Best Documentary Feature category included "Hell and Back Again," by Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner, "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" by Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman; "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory," the latest installment by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky in the series that follows the case of the West Memphis Three; and "Pina," Wim Wenders' and Gian-Piero Ringel's 3-D dance opus.
