Oscars 2019: Spike Lee storms out after Green Book wins Best Film – here’s why

The 91^st Annual Academy Awards have wrapped up and congratulations are in order for all the big winners of this year. While some were predicted and came through, there were few surprises too. However, the one that shocked the most was the Best Picture win by Green Book. The film has been embroiled in controversy mainly because of its ‘white saviour’ narrative which has been criticized by many. So when it won the Best Picture award, everyone was obviously taken back. However, the BlackKklansman director Spike Lee was so upset that he showed his disappointment by storming out of the theatre.

 Julia Roberts, who was presenting the award for the Best Picture Category, came up on stage and announced the winner – Green Book. As soon as she did so, most people were surprised, both sitting in the audience and the viewers watching from around the world. But many of you would have missed what happened next. Well, Spike Lee was seen waving his arms in disbelief and then leaving his seat just when the announcement was made, with many speculating his disapproval with the decision. But before he could leave the theatre, the filmmaker was stooped at the doors and was asked to return back to his seat. When asked about exiting the auditorium, Lee made his views known by saying, “I was courtside in the Garden. The ref made a bad call.”

That’s not all! After returning to his seat, Lee continued showing his anger by turning his back to the stage while the winning speech was still going on. The stereotypical narrative of Green Boo, directed by Peter Farelly, depicts the “white saviour” storyline, something that has been shown over and over again on celluloid. It’s a great movie no doubt and worth all the appreciation and awards. But the problem this time around was when the category had such diverse nominees, Green Book winning amongst them surely got everyone charged up but not in a good way.