Director Ang Lee is finally pointing the finger. Lee told IndieWire in a recent interview that his Brokeback Mountain losing the Academy Awards Best Picture to Crash in 2006 was because of discrimination against a gay love story. “Back then, [‘Brokeback Mountain’] had a ceiling.
We got a lot of support — up to that much,” he said. “It has that feeling. I wasn’t holding a grudge or anything. It’s just how they were,” Lee said of the Academy at the time.
Brokeback Mountain did win three other Oscars that year for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay for Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, and Best Original Score for Gustavo Santaolalla.
Ang remembered coming off the stage after accepting his Best Director award. “I got my award, which was [second to] last to the big one, and I was walking off the stage, they called me down, and said, stay here.