The Obamas Might Skip Oscars Despite Nomination

Despite being nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category, the Obamas might not be seen making an appearance at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. A documentary named “American Factory,” the first project from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company is one of the five films running for the trophy.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, co-directors Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar believe it is highly unlikely that viewers will get to see the former President of the U.S. and the former First Lady making their way to the Dolby Theatre for the star-studded event. The duo also stated that it is not easy for the Obamas to go anywhere “casually” as every minor detail is checked by Secret Service before they leave for an event.

Bognar further stated that the Obamas very well know that their presence at the ceremony will become a “big deal” and it will take all the spotlight away from the people who have worked hard on the documentary and also those who have worked tirelessly on their respective films.

“They are very mindful that if they go somewhere it becomes a big deal, and they are great about: The spotlight should not be on them, it should be on the people in the stories,” Bognar said.

“American Factory” takes place in the post-industrial Ohio where a Chinese Billionaire buys an old General Motors plant that was shut down in the year 2008. The movie tells the world how the wealthy entrepreneur created employment opportunities and gave almost 2,000 jobs to blue-collared Americans at a time when the relations between the U.S. and China were not that good.

The movie was well-received by the critics as well as the audiences and currently has a score of 98 percent on review site Rotten Tomatoes.

The film will face some stiff competition from other documentaries like “The Cave,” “The Edge Of Democracy,” “For Sama,” and “Honeyland.”

Apart from being nominated at the Oscars, “American Factory” was also up for a BAFTA recently but lost out to “For Sama” in the Outstanding Documentary category. The documentary has been recognized as one of the top five documentaries of 2019 by the National Board Of Review (NBR).

In related news, Todd Phillips’ “Joker” is leading the pack with 11 noms at the Academy Awards. “The Irishman,” “1917,” and “Once Upon A Time Hollywood” received 10 nominations each.

The ceremony will take place on Feb. 9 in Los Angeles.