New Zealand film director Jane Campion has copped some serious backlash after making a condescending and privileged comment to Serena Williams and Venus Williams during her acceptance speech at the 27th Critics Choice Awards.
Taking out the gong for Best Director for film The Power of the Dog, Campion acknowledged her excitement at being in the room with tennis’ greatest icons. “Venus and Serena, what an honour to be in the room with you,” she said, before going on to acknowledge the male directors in the category she’d just won.
“I’d also just like to give my love out to my fellow – the guys. And Serena and Venus, you are such marvels. However, you do not play against the guys like I have to,” Campion said, pointing at herself jokingly.
The camera showed the reaction of the Williams’ sisters: Venus looked awkwardly on, while Serena was seen applauding enthusiastically and cheering.
On social media, criticism against the Oscar-nominated, multi-award-winning director was swift and widespread.
Actress Jodie Turner-Smith, who attended the ceremony, tweeted: “[Campion] taking time out of her best director speech to tell two Black women that she is more oppressed than them is PEAK white feminism.”
Record producer, Drew Dixon, said: “The nerve of Jane Campion to suggest her journey is harder than that of two Black women who’ve overcome racism, sexism and classism in one of the whitest, richest sports in the world to become CHAMPIONS again and again is why I have trust issues with white feminists.”
American activist and co-founder of Campaign Zero, Brittany Packnett Cunningham called Campion’s statement a “microaggression”, adding “Honestly I’ve been pushing myself to stop doing this as much as possible. To stop chuckling, fake smiling, dancing, or otherwise downplaying the wrong.”
“But it’s really a survival habit at this point. I don’t know any Black woman that has the time or energy to correct EACH one.”
British-Nigerian activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu wrote on Twitter, “White women centring themselves over Black women is so normalised. Jane Campion served Serena and Venus a backhand with her full chest. This was so unnecessary, petty & ugly. She couldn’t achieve what they have with barriers faced in White Male dominated tennis sport.”
Campion, 67, issued an apology the following day, saying: “I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved. I did not intend to devalue these two legendary Black women and world-class athletes.”
“The fact is the Williams sisters have, actually, squared off against men on the court (and off), and they have both raised the bar and opened doors for what is possible for women in this world.”
“The last thing I would ever want to do is minimise remarkable women. I love Serena and Venus. Their accomplishments are titanic and inspiring. Serena and Venus, I apologise and completely celebrate you.”
Critics online were quick to correct Campion’s comment, noting that the Williams sisters had in fact, throughout their career, played against men, and won these games.
It’s not the first time Campion has made headlines for controversial remarks.
Last September, she spoke at the Venice film festival, expressing her thoughts about the future of women in the film industry, comparing the #MeToo movement to the Berlin Wall coming down “…or the end of apartheid for us women.”
Critics pointed out Campion’s lack of awareness around the lived realities for many marginalised women and black women affected by apartheid in South Africa.