Steven Spielberg weighs in on Oscars broadcast changes: "I hope it's reversed"

Steven Spielberg has weighed in on the recent changes to this year's Oscars broadcast – and he hopes they're reversed.

"I disagree with the decision made by the executive committee," Spielberg told Deadline. "I feel very strongly that this is perhaps the most collaborative medium in the world. All of us make movies together, we become a family where one craft is just as indispensable as the next. I feel that at the Academy Awards there is no above the line, there is no below the line. All of us are on the same line bringing the best of us to tell the best stories we possibly can. And that means, for me, we should all have a seat at the supper table together live at five."

The presentation and acceptance of the following awards will take place an hour before the televised ceremony: Best Documentary Short, Best Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, and Best Achievement in Sound. They'll still be recorded, but will be edited into the live broadcast. 

Spielberg continued: "Everybody will have their moment in the limelight. All the winners will be able to be shown with their acceptance speeches, but it’s the idea that we can’t all be there. I hope it’s reversed, but I’m not anticipating a reversal and I am not optimistic about it."

Spielberg's latest movie, West Side Story, is up for seven awards at this year's Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. You can see the Oscars 2022 nominations list in full here.