The Oscars were a bit of a fuck around, weren’t they? The best picture fiasco dominated the headlines and stopped this year’s Academy Awards from becoming the charged political protest that many thought it would be. Instead, we were treated to a delightful abundance of fresh and zesty memes that were way more entertaining than an outdated three-hour awards marathon.
While laughing at a stuff-up that ruined a moment that people had spent their entire careers to achieve is all well and good, there’s another situation that deserves a bit more attention. An image of Jan Chapman, the well-known producer of The Last Days of Chez Nous and The Piano, was accidentally chosen to represent Janet Patterson, an Australian costume designer, BAFTA winner and four-time Academy Award nominee, who passed away last year.
This came up in the In Memoriam section at #Oscars2017. But isn't this (living) Australian film producer Jan Chapman? pic.twitter.com/YKIMGBUv5E
— David Berthold (@DavidBerthold) February 27, 2017
“I was devastated by the use of my image in place of my great friend and long-time collaborator Janet Patterson,” Chapman told Variety in an email. “I had urged her agency to check any photograph which might be used and understand that they were told that the Academy had it covered.”
I’m not entirely sure what it’s like to see your own funeral, but I think this disaster has given Jan Chapman a much clearer insight. Chapman, who worked with Patterson on both The Last Days of Chez Nous and The Piano, was understandably upset about the confusion and said it was “Very disappointing.” Just to make sure no one came running for her inheritance, Jan gave a final statement reassuring everyone on the state of her mortality.
“I am alive and well and an active producer.”
Good to hear Jan, good to hear.
Source: Time
Image: Hollywood Reporter
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