When “American Fiction” filmmaker Cord Jefferson took the stage to accept his Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, he used it as an opportunity to call for studios to greenlight smaller movies. “$200 million movies are also a risk,” Jefferson rightly pointed out.
“It’s a plea to acknowledge and recognize that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given,” Jefferson said.
“I understand that this is a risk-averse industry, but $200 million movies are also a risk. But you take the risk anyway,” he added. “Instead of making one $200 million movie, make 20 $10 million movies or 50 $4 million movies.”
Jefferson continued: “I want other people to experience that joy. The next Martin Scorsese is out there. The next Greta [Gerwig] is out there. The next Christopher Nolan is out there. They just want a shot. And we can give them one.”
The filmmaker won the Oscar by adapting the 2001 novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett. The movie is also nominated for several other awards this evening, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score.
