This past weekend I wrote about how the Motion Picture Association of America(MPAA), had decided last week to ban free screener copies of eligible movies to Academy voters, fearing a rampant outbreak of piracy. Well, Reuters is now reporting that not only have directors come out against this decision, but now actors have as well. Many high profile actors, including several past Academy Award winners will release a newspaper advertisment calling for a lift on the ban of 'screeners'.
The list of players involved in this controversy is growing. A producer from the Screen Actor's Guild Awards said, ""we are concerned that if screeners are not made available, our members will not be able to view all eligible performances." Even the Writers Guild Of America West issued a statement that said, "to place a gag order on 'screeners' is to tilt the playing field from small films to large." So, it is clear that this issue is not going away easily.