Boots Riley has a few theories in check, as to why the Academy decided to snub his ever-successful film debut Sorry To Bother You. As reported, the nominations for the 91st Academy Awards were announced yesterday, and as Boots would have predicted himself, Sorry To Bother You was not among the projects shortlisted for any such award. But even in the likeliest of circumstances, Boots wants everyone to know the twisted rationale behind the voter's preferences. He made his feelings known in a series of explanatory posts via Twitter.
Boots Riley contends that a large percentage of the film industry agrees with the stated message in STBY, even amongst the voting base. But Riley also feels that "influencers" don't want to see movies like STBY made, thus affecting the voting turnout from would-be supporters - a social phenomenon he calls the Spiral of Silence theory.
Even so, Riley thinks his film could have received a nomination for its original soundtrack and sound design, without influencing the American film landscape for generations to come, but lost of out for political reasons. According to Riley, had he purchased Your Consideration ads "in trade magazines" or "served" the voters (of the Academy) with advance screenings, Sorry To Bother You might have wound up nominated in one of the auxiliary categories. It's nevertheless not at all surprising to see a pure and applied communist manifesto miss out on the major plaudits. Boots Riley should be content with the splash he did make, with his forcible entry into the Film World.