The musical biopic of Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury is deemed ineligible at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards amid accusations against the director.
- Jan 25, 2019
AceShowbiz - "Bohemian Rhapsody" has lost its chance to compete at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, no thanks to sexual misconduct allegations against its director Bryan Singer. GLAAD has disqualified the musical biopic from the consideration for Outstanding Film after The Atlantic published a report about four men who accused the filmmaker of having sexual encounters with them in the late 1990s, when they were teenagers.
The organization says in a statement to Variety, "In light of the latest allegations against director Bryan Singer, GLAAD has made the difficult decision to remove 'Bohemian Rhapsody' from contention for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Film - Wide Release category this year. This week's story in The Atlantic documenting unspeakable harms endured by young men and teenage boys brought to light a reality that cannot be ignored or even tacitly rewarded."
GLAAD goes on taking issue with Singer's reaction to the accusations, in which he called the report "homophobic smear piece." The statement continues, "Singer's response to The Atlantic story wrongfully used 'homophobia' to deflect from sexual assault allegations and GLAAD urges the media and the industry at large to not gloss over the fact that survivors of sexual assault should be put first."
"The team that worked so hard on 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as well as the legacy of Freddy [sic] Mercury deserve so much more than to be tainted in this way," it adds. " 'Bohemian Rhapsody' brought the story of LGBTQ icon Freddy [sic] Mercury to audiences around the world, many of whom never saw an out and proud lead character in a film or saw the impact of HIV and AIDS in fair and accurate ways. The impact of the film is undeniable. We believe, however, that we must send a clear and unequivocal message to LGBTQ youth and all survivors of sexual assault that GLAAD and our community will stand with survivors and will not be silent when it comes to protecting them from those who would do them harm."
Time's Up, an organization committed to safe and fair workplaces, also issues a statement, demanding thorough investigation on the allegations to bring justice for the alleged victims.
The recent allegations regarding Bryan Singer’s behavior are horrifying and MUST be taken seriously and investigated. pic.twitter.com/twqwbO2TJp
— TIME'S UP (@TIMESUPNOW) January 24, 2019
Singer directed "Bohemian Rhapsody" before he was fired in December 2017 for being absent on the set and allegedly clashing with lead actor Rami Malek. Dexter Fletcher was hired to complete the film, but Singer retained sole director credit as per Directors Guild of America guidelines, while Fletcher received an executive producer credit.
Malek recently denied he had any awareness of the allegations of sexual misconduct linked to the director. The actor, who has received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the movie, told Los Angeles Times, "I didn't know much about Bryan. I think that the allegations and things were, believe it or not, honestly something I was not aware of, and that is what it is. Who knows what happens with that... but I think somehow we found a way to persevere through everything that was thrown our way."
The movie also received four other nominations at the upcoming Academy Awards, including for Best Picture.
