Spike Lee said “the ref made a bad call” naming Green Book Best Picture at the Academy Awards after he reportedly turned his back during director Peter Farrelly’s acceptance speech.
The controversial film about African-American pianist Dr Don Shirley beat Lee’s BlacKkKlansman as well as Roma, Vice, A Star Is Born, The Favourite, Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody to take the title in a surprise victory on Sunday night.
The handling of race has been criticised as belonging to the “white saviour” Hollywood trope while Shirley’s brother disputed the friendship between Shirley and his chauffeur Tony Vallelonga in the film. Shirley’s nephew also branded his uncle’s depiction a “symphony of lies”.
When asked about the film backstage, Lee said he thought he was court side at Madison Square Garden and “the ref made a bad call”.
Deadline reports that he left his seat after Julia Roberts announced the Best Picture winner and walked to the back of the auditorium. He is said to have had an intense conversation with Jordan Peele before allegedly turning his back to the stage during the acceptance speech.
Lee also missed out on Best Director for BlacKkKlansman to Alfonso Cuaron for Roma, but he didn’t go home empty handed after taking home Best Adapted Screenplay.
Mahershala Ali, who plays Shirley alongside Viggo Mortensen as Vallelonga, was awarded Best Supporting Actor for the film which document’s their friendship as they travel through America’s Deep South during the Jim Crow era.
“I want to thank Dr Shirley for just trying to capture his essence,” he said during his acceptance speech. “Trying to capture Dr Shirley’s essence pushed me to my ins which is a reflection of the person he was and the life that he lived. And I thank him.”
He also thanked director Farrelly for his “leadership and guidance” before dedicating the award to his grandmother.
It marks Ali’s second win after he scooped Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight in 2017.
Green Book was also awarded Best Original Screenplay on a night which saw Rami Malek and Olivia Colman hailed Best Actor and Actress respectively for their roles as Freddie Mercury and Queen Anne in Bohemian Rhapsody and The Favourite.
