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The Academy officially apologises for Oscars best picture blunder

Los Angeles — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is apologising to the cast and crews of the films La La Land and Moonlight for the mistaken announcement of the best picture winner during Sunday's Oscars award ceremony.

The academy's apology comes after the accounting firm responsible for the integrity of the Academy Awards, PwC, said mistakes were made and its staffers did not move quickly enough to correct the biggest error in Oscars history.

"We deeply regret the mistakes that were made during the presentation of the Best Picture category during last night's Oscar ceremony," the academy said in a Monday statement. "We apologise to the entire cast and crew of 'La La Land' and 'Moonlight' whose experience was profoundly altered by this error."

The academy also apologised to presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway and to viewers.

The academy's statement noted that PwC, formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers, has been entrusted with handling Oscar votes for 83 years but said the academy "will determine what actions are appropriate going forward."

PwC wrote in its own statement that several mistakes were made and two of its partners assigned to the show did not act quickly enough when "La La Land" was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner. Three of the film's producers spoke before the actual winner, the coming-of-age drama "Moonlight," was announced.

"PwC takes full responsibility for the series of mistakes and breaches of established protocols during last night's Oscars," PwC wrote. It said its partner, Brian Cullinan, mistakenly handed Beatty and Dunaway an envelope containing the winner of the best actress award. (Read more here)


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