Bafta boss blames studio for Selma snub

Britist actor David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr. in the movie Selma.

Civil rights drama Selma failed to land a single nomination at this year's Bafta Awards because movie bosses did not organise enough voter screenings, according to the organisation's chief executive.

The movie was left out of the running at the prizegiving in the UK, and its star, Brit David Oyelowo, failed to land a mention in the Best Actor category.

Its poor showing sparked speculation Bafta voters had deliberately shunned the movie.

But Bafta chief executive Amanda Berry is adamant the snub was down to studio bosses who failed to make sure voters got to see the film.

"I'm heartbroken about Selma because the reason it hasn't got any nominations is because people didn't see it. The film wasn't delivered in the States until the end of November, then a print has to be shipped over to the UK and then screenings organised," Berry told Sky News.

"Before the Bafta voting started there were only three screenings of the film and only hundreds of people were reached - there are 6,500 voting members.

"We absolutely recognise David's a hugely talented British actor so I was personally very disappointed that it was all down to logistics," Berry said.

Oyelowo and the film's director Ava DuVernay also failed to land Oscar nominations this year, and the actor recently blamed the snub on ongoing race issues in Hollywood.

Selma will compete for the Best Picture prize at the Academy Awards on February 22.

- WENN