HFPA members were interviewed anonymously by the LA Times ahead of the Golden Globe Awards show next Sunday.
A new report in the Los Angeles Times reveals that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that hosts the annual Golden Globe Awards, is in crisis. The story was triggered by the rejection of an antitrust suit by Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa, who accused the organization of a “culture of corruption” and claimed that “the tax-free organization operated like a kind of cartel, barring qualified candidates – including itself – and monopolize access to the important press while unduly subsidizing the income of its members. ”
The Flaa lawsuit exposed potential ethical conflicts and cases of self-control among members of the organization, just a week before the Golden Globes ceremony next Sunday.
“The resignation was disappointing,” said a current member of the HFPA, who, like most of those quoted in history, asked to remain anonymous. “I thought it would shake things up…. We are an archaic organization. I still think that HFPA needs external pressure to change. “
Although the HFPA has increased its philanthropic efforts in recent years (with $ 45 million in donations over the past 28 years), the LA Times story said that “questions remain about the legitimacy of the island association, the qualifications of its members and your ethics ”.
The story includes interviews with more than 50 people, including studio advertisers, entertainment executives and current and former members. Times reporters reveal that the HFPA, while not for profit, regularly issues payments to its members “in ways that some experts say may conflict with IRS guidelines. HFPA members raised nearly $ 2 million in group payments in their fiscal year ended June 2020 for serving on multiple committees and performing other tasks – more than double the level three years earlier. “
The Golden Globes ceremony continues to be a lucrative venture for HFPA, raising $ 27.4 million last year alone.
“It’s a nice idea to take NBC money and donate it to good causes, like tuition and restoring movies,” a member told The Times. “But now there is a spirit of milking the organization and receiving the money. It’s outrageous. “
An HFPA representative told The Times: “Our compensation decisions are based on an assessment of compensation practices by similar nonprofits and market rates for those services”, and which are “assessed by a professional compensation consultant without for-profit and outside counsel, where appropriate. “
According to the financial records studied by the LA Times, in the fiscal year ended June 2020, HFPA paid $ 1.929 million for its members on committees and in carrying out other tasks for the organization. The amount was budgeted to increase to $ 2.15 million in the fiscal year ended June 2021. Its polling body consists of international journalists, many of whom were affected by the pandemic.
The story also points to criticism of the HFPA over its recent list of nominees, which included two nominations for “Emily in Paris”, but zero for the acclaimed “I May Destroy You”, as well as two nominations for the widely criticized feature film by debut of Sia “Música”, including for Best Film. According to the article, 30 HFPA members were taken on a luxury trip to France during the production of “Emily in Paris”.
“There was a real reaction and with good reason – that program is not on any of the best 2020 lists,” said one member. “It is an example of why many of us say that we need to change. If we keep doing this, we invite criticism and scorn ”.
Read the full story in the LA Times.
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