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The nominations for the Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday, showcasing the strong influence of family connections in major Oscar contenders. Many of the 10 films nominated for best picture feature members of high-profile relationships collaborating on the same project. For instance, the blockbuster film “Barbie,” which received backlash for being overlooked in the best actress and best director categories, includes two such connections. Star Margot Robbie and her husband Tom Ackerley are co-founders of LuckyChap Entertainment, the production company behind the film. Additionally, director Greta Gerwig is nominated for best adapted screenplay alongside her husband Noah Baumbach.
The 2024 Academy Award nominations seem to have favored collaborations between spouses. For example, the team behind the best picture nominee Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, are also married. Justine Triet, director of Anatomy of a Fall, is nominated for best original screenplay alongside her long-term partner Arthur Hariri, with whom she has two children. Other examples include May December writer Samy Burch, who shares a “story by” credit with her husband Alex Mechanik, and Jared Hess, director of Napoleon Dynamite, who co-directed and co-wrote the best animated short film nominee Ninety Five Senses with his wife Jerusha.
These individuals are experienced in the film industry and have collaborated on various projects over the years. It may seem coincidental, but it is worth noting that many of them are nominated for Oscars at the same time. According to Anna Smith, a film critic and host of the Girls on Film podcast, she sees this as a positive occurrence. She believes that these are examples of real-life partners working well together with a shared or complementary vision. Baumbach and Ackerley, for example, are feminist allies and Baumbach likely provided a helpful and clever male perspective on the Barbie script, which he and Gerwig wrote while living together during lockdown.
This type of collaborative creativity is not a new concept. In 1919, Mary Pickford, one of Hollywood’s top stars, co-founded United Artists studio with her future spouse Douglas Fairbanks, as well as Charlie Chaplin and DW Griffith, director of Birth of a Nation. Thomas and Nolan became acquainted while studying at University College London and have been working together since their first short film, Doodlebug, directed by Nolan. Robbie introduced Ackerley to LuckyChap in 2014 along with friends Sophia Kerr and Josey McNamara. Gerwig and Baumbach crossed paths while working on Baumbach’s film Greenberg in 2010.
It is clear that working in the fast-paced world of film-making can create unique challenges for partners in a relationship. According to Rebecca Harrell Tickell and Josh Tickell, who have produced several acclaimed environmental documentaries such as The Big Fix, Kiss the Ground, and its sequel Common Ground, the intense demands of film-making can be difficult to navigate.
According to Harrell Tickell, our marriage and family are closely intertwined with our films and mission, which can sometimes cause us to take successes and failures too personally. Tickell also mentions that while this is a source of strength, it can also be a pitfall as it blurs the lines between work, family, and romantic relationships.
Although there are clear risks associated with making films together, it is apparent that in this year’s Oscars, we can also see the benefits. Nolan and Thomas have been collaborating on films since their first short, while Robbie and Ackerley have utilized Robbie’s acting career to support emerging directors like Emerald Fennell and Megan Park. Despite being well-known directors with their own unique styles, Gerwig and Baumbach worked together on a script for Barbie, which might have been unlikely for either of them to do individually.
The challenge of managing creative differences in a way that does not harm personal relationships is a significant concern. According to Harrell Tickell, most of the time we are in agreement or one of us is willing to compromise. However, when we strongly disagree, we usually step away from our team to discuss our opposing views. In resolving conflicts related to our films, we both have a say and the needs of the film are also considered. Tickell suggests that this can actually be a source of strength, as miscommunications are bound to happen and there are moments when we do not see eye to eye. But often, a new solution that neither of us had thought of presents itself and that is where the true creative brilliance lies.
Ultimately, according to Harrell Tickell, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. “Joining forces in our partnership allows us to be significantly more efficient than we could be on our own.”
Source: theguardian.com
