While leading a masterclass at the Sarajevo Film Festival this week, Charlie Kaufman has been putting on a masterclass of his own — not on screenwriting or directing, but on speaking his mind. And, well, there's no easier victim in the film industry right now than Hollywood bosses.
After leaving his first victim (AI) in shambles, the Oscar-winning screenwriter proceeded to cut studio executives down to size.
In an interview with Variety, Kaufman said:
It's disgusting, because they don't do anything. No, they do damage is what they do. They do damage to the art form. And by doing that, they do damage to humanity. And if everything is about the bottom line for them and saving money, then there's nothing left to the art form.
He continued:
[Studio heads] are not ushering in any kind of beautiful work by their presence. They're kind of doing the opposite of that. And I think it's evidenced in what Hollywood produces, and how the more expensive a movie is, the less value it has to the culture.
Kaufman said he remains skeptical of the studios' ability to negotiate in good faith, but has hope that the call scheduled for today between CEOs from Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and more will bear the results that WGA and SAG-AFTRA have been clamouring for on the picket lines for the past few months.
"I think they grasp it. I think they know that their money comes from other people not getting money," he said of the execs.
Meanwhile, north of the border, TIFF is still slated to fill up theatres next month — although the red carpets might be empty, barring any good news from the CEOs meeting today.
After leaving his first victim (AI) in shambles, the Oscar-winning screenwriter proceeded to cut studio executives down to size.
In an interview with Variety, Kaufman said:
It's disgusting, because they don't do anything. No, they do damage is what they do. They do damage to the art form. And by doing that, they do damage to humanity. And if everything is about the bottom line for them and saving money, then there's nothing left to the art form.
He continued:
[Studio heads] are not ushering in any kind of beautiful work by their presence. They're kind of doing the opposite of that. And I think it's evidenced in what Hollywood produces, and how the more expensive a movie is, the less value it has to the culture.
Kaufman said he remains skeptical of the studios' ability to negotiate in good faith, but has hope that the call scheduled for today between CEOs from Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and more will bear the results that WGA and SAG-AFTRA have been clamouring for on the picket lines for the past few months.
"I think they grasp it. I think they know that their money comes from other people not getting money," he said of the execs.
Meanwhile, north of the border, TIFF is still slated to fill up theatres next month — although the red carpets might be empty, barring any good news from the CEOs meeting today.
