Michael Moore has pulled his controversial Fahrenheit 9/11 out of contention for a 'sure bet' Oscar nomination for Best Documentary in a bid to get the film shown to a wider audience on broadcast TV, and influence the outcome of this year's heated Presidential Election.
According to a recent Gallup survey, more than half of all American adults have either seen or expect to see Moore's wildly popular movie, Fahrenheit 9/11, a critical look at the Bush administration's decision to go to war with Iraq. The poll, conducted July 8-11, found that 8% of Americans said they have already seen the movie, 18% expected to see it at a theater, and 30% expected to watch it on DVD or home video.
The poll also found that generally Americans had a more unfavorable than favorable impression of the movie, 'but those who have seen it are overwhelmingly favorable. Democrats and Republicans have sharply different views, as do younger and older people.'
In an informal poll conducted by Moore's pollster friend -- who formerly worked for the Republicans -- he found that the 80% of the Fahrenheit 9/11 audiences in three different cities were essentially likely Kerry voters, but 'the movie has galvanized them in a way you rarely see Democrats galvanized.'
Though Moore says that '20 million people' have already seen his film, he is worried that the right people are not seeing it.
'The less (people) that see it, the better for Bush,' Moore's pollster firend told him. So Moore now wants the people who aren't as prone to voting for Kerry in the audience.
Moore has already assured an October release of Fahrenheit 9/11 on DVD and home video, but he now wants to do more to get the movie out to the American public before the November 2 election.
He has his eyes on broadcast TV, where a wider American audience is ripe for the viewing. To do this, Moore will have to sacrifice his bid for a Best Documentary nod, since under Academy rules documentaries are ineligible for Oscar consideration if aired on television or the Internet within nine months of their theatrical release.
'If there is even the remotest of chances that I can get this film seen by a few million more Americans before election day,' Moore said, 'then that is more important to me than winning another documentary Oscar. I have already won a Best Documentary statue. Having a second one would be nice, but not as nice as getting this country back in the hands of the majority.'
