Upset over Oscar snub

2010-02-03 14:09

Johannesburg - US actor Morgan Freeman on Wednesday said he was disappointed that Clint Eastwood's Nelson Mandela biopic Invictus, in which he plays the iconic former South African president, failed to pick up an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

Freeman, who was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in the film, which is set during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, told 702 private radio station in Johannesburg in an interview from Rome, "I'm feeling pretty good about it".

"But I just can't understand why the picture didn't get nominated out of the ten (nominated)," Freeman said.

Instead, the best picture nomination went to another made-in-South Africa film, the science-fiction blockbuster, District 9.

District 9, by South African-born director Neill Blomkamp, is the story of a race of extraterrestrials whose spaceship gets marooned in Johannesburg, where they are forced into slums and face extinction until converting a government agent to their cause.

A-list actors vs unknowns

While Invictus fielded top-billing US actors in the starring roles - Matt Damon has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of then-Springbok rugby captain Francois Pienaar - District 9 boasts a South African cast of relative unknowns.

Apart from Best Picture, the film, which was produced by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, has also been nominated in the Editing, Visual Effects and Best Adapted Screenplay categories.

Actor Sharlto Copley, whose portrayal of Afrikaner government agent Wikus van der Merwe was universally praised, told 702 radio he was thrilled at the nominations.

"It's big news for South Africa, both for the industry and the South African people," he said.

While the competition for best picture was strong, he acknowledged, "being nominated really is quite an honour and it puts a lot of spotlight on the film and everyone involved," he said.

- SAPA

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