A closer look

Winning a golden statue is rarely about artistic merit; it is an economic war of attrition. Studios regularly deploy massive campaign budgets, throwing extravagant parties and sending out lavish gifts just to secure votes. In some hilarious instances, the amount of money spent begging for an award heavily eclipses the entire production budget of the independent film itself. Prestige, apparently, is just a commodity you can buy with enough catered events.