The International Press Academy issued a press release Tuesday (Dec. 23) that congratulates Sony Pictures and Studio City resident George Clooney for their fight for the First Amendment. The IPA is an international organization of entertainment journalists that is based in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
The IPA president Mirjana Van Blaricom pointed out that she was not endorsing the comedy satire “The Interview,” but she applauds the fact that Sony Pictures is now releasing the movie on Christmas Day even on a limited basis. The nominations for the press academy came out for films, but “The Interview” didn’t receive any nominations.
“I saw the movie, I saw it earlier this month in a screening, and well, we are not honoring the movie per se, but we are honoring their statement of free speech,” says Van Blaricom, who sees more than 250 movies a year in order to come up with the nominations with her academy. “I think George Clooney was being very brave, too.”
The Executive Board of the IPA thanked Clooney for spearheading the fight for free press among the Hollywood community. In 2005, the Press Academy honored Clooney in its first-ever Auteur Award which recognizes individual voices of filmmakers and their impact on the industry. Other honorees include Paul Williams, Peter Bogdanovich, Baz Luhrmann, Julian Schnabel, Alex Gibney and Robert Altman. The Press Academy also gave Clooney the Best Original Screenplay Award for “Good Night, And Good Luck,” which charts the era of McCarthyism through the eyes of TV news great Edward R. Murrow.
“We think it is wonderful that Sony is brave enough to stand up for Free Speech, and that they are going to let the public see this movie,” says Van Blaricom, who lives in Sherman Oaks. “We are not judging the merits of the movie, but we are congratulating James Franco, Seth Rogen and the filmmakers, as well as Sony Pictures, for standing up for the release of their movie.”
Clooney in the past was nominated by the IPA for Best Actor for “The Descendents” and Best Actor for “Up in the Air.” The International Press Academy is one of the largest coalitions of domestic and international journalists writing about the entertainment industry that gives its Satellite Awards in all categories of entertainment—cinema, television and new media.
“We are always in support of George Clooney, and his continuing support of free expression and innovation in the entertainment industry,” Van Blaricom says.
Nominees have already been announced for television and motion pictures, and other nominations will be announced next month. The 19th annual Satellite Awards will be presented on Feb. 15, 2015.
