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On the eve of Sunday’s Golden Globes telecast, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. continues to face backlash over its response to criticism that the voting body does not have a single black member.
Following a Times investigation that raised new questions about the HFPA and the makeup of its membership, several industry figures and organizations, including directors Ava DuVernay and JJ Abrams, actors Ellen Pompeo and Sterling K Brown, comedian Amy Schumer and Time’s Up, called on the organization to cultivate inclusiveness and address diversity within its ranks.
The organization’s official response to calls for reform has also drawn fire from some of its own members.
In an email sent to all members on Friday and addressed to the chief operating officer and general counsel of the HFPA, Gregory Goeckner, a member, Dierk Sindermann, disputed the statements of the former president of the HFPA, Theo Kingma, in an interview with The Times.
Kingma said he was working to remedy the lack of black members in the voting body. “This is something that we should seriously consider; times have changed, but unfortunately our statutes do not change so quickly, ”he said Thursday.
In his email, Sindermann, who represents Austria, Germany and Switzerland in the voting body, expressed his surprise that Kingma spoke out, saying: “Maybe I misunderstood you as that advice from the HFPA, but as I recall, you urged members not to comment publicly on matters. This rule no longer applies? According to the email reviewed by The Times.
In 2013, the HFPA rejected a black candidate, Samantha Ofole-Prince, based in the United Kingdom, a decision which was the subject of controversy within the group, according to the Wrap.
Regarding Ofole-Prince, Kingma told The Times: “Unfortunately, she did not complete the [bylaws] conditions. … Her publications paid her less than European publications, and she couldn’t make a living here, which was more of the reason to accept it. HFPA access would have really helped her.
But Sindermann contradicted Kingma, saying she was rejected because she did not receive “enough votes”.
“Many members are probably unaware that in 2013 there was a controversy over black candidate Samantha Ofole-Prince,” Sindermann wrote, calling Kingma’s comments about her “deaf at best and just plain wrong.” .
Goeckner responded to Sindermann’s email saying, “Please do not discuss this by email.”
Ofole-Prince could not be reached for comment. Kingma and Sindermann declined to comment.
Members of the organization have provided puzzling, if not contradictory, comments on the matter.
During a Zoom panel discussion on Wednesday with Jane Fonda, this year’s Cecil B. DeMille recipient, the actress told members of the HFPA: “I have to say, get more women. I’m only the 17th time a woman wins [the career achievement award]. And also, we need to help you get more black members, ”according to a transcript of the exchange reviewed by The Times.
“They didn’t apply and no one wrote about it,” a member replied to the actress. “We’re open to anyone as long as you’re based in Southern California and writing for an international magazine. The press never picked up on this. “
Former HFPA president Meher Tatna said on Friday that the association had not had a black member for at least 20 years and could not remember who that person was, adding that “it was before my time, but I don’t remember what country he came from, ”according to an interview with Variety.
“We are fully committed to ensuring that our members reflect the communities around the world who love film, television and the artists who inspire and educate them,” a representative from HFPA said in an earlier statement to The Times. “We understand that we need to recruit black members, as well as members from other under-represented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement a plan of action to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”
The HFPA said it would “address this on our Sunday show,” according to the organization’s Instagram.
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