Jane Campion, a celebrated film director from New Zealand, was earning plaudits online for her recent project until it all changed after she passed a remark about Venus Williams and Serena Williams. Now, after riling netizens for the “unnecessary” comparison, she is being slammed as racist online.
During the 2022 Critics’ Choice Awards ceremony, Campion while accepting the award for Best Director called out the legendary tennis siblings from the podium. “Venus and Serena, you’re such marvels. However, you don’t play against the guys, like I have to,” said Campion.
Campion made the comment as she was trying to point out that she was the only woman to have been nominated in the category with “the guys,” that included Kenneth Branagh (Belfast), Steven Spielberg (West Side Story) and Denis Villeneuve (Dune) among others.
Here’s the clip of Jane Campion’s speech#CriticsChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/pucAsmE2JF
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 14, 2022
As The Power of the Dog director made the controversial remark giggling from the stage, it was Venus’ reaction that was highlighted as she was seen being flabbergasted by what many dubbed a “crude remark”. Serena, on the other hand, was seen laughing and broke out into applause afterwards.
— Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) March 14, 2022
Thousands of people commented on the speech online, criticising Campion and asking her to apologise, adding her struggle is different from the sports personalities who also had to fight systemic racism.
Netizens were further disappointed as the incident happened a day after she was crowned as a queen for responding to Sam Elliot’s crude criticism of her film on the red carpet ahead of the DGA Awards. She was applauded online for stating in an interview with Variety that “he’s not a cowboy, he’s an actor.”
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 #CriticsChoice https://t.co/FnpFU3TO0Q
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) March 14, 2022
Yeah they only had to fight to make women’s tennis as relevant as it is today in the face of unspeakable racism and misogyny. A walk in the park. pic.twitter.com/OW6eSJc5WU
— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) March 14, 2022
And there goes all the good will she had for destroying Sam Elliott https://t.co/BFD2vTBNI1
— jess sager (@ohheyjesssager) March 14, 2022
The arrogance and ignorance of Jane Campion. Anyone who knows anything about Venus and Serena’s careers wouldn’t think to utter something this stupid and insulting. https://t.co/SljZ0smqR6
— Gene Farris (@gpfarris) March 14, 2022
What kind of ignorant shit is that, like they don’t have grand slam titles and Olympic gold medals in mixed doubles. Or like Venus didn’t single handedly successfully campaign for equal prize money at Wimbledon.
Ugh, typical ignorance. https://t.co/wuOvp5yqj4
— Hackney Harlot (@HackneyHarlot) March 14, 2022
Is Jane Campion aware what Venus & Serena had to deal with in the whitest of sports? What an insulting comparison. She must have not watched @KingRichardFilm @serenawilliams was right when she recently wrote, “No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it’s not enough.”
— Noma Faingold (@Nomawrites) March 14, 2022
Can we white women ever NOT make it about our “oppression”.🙄
We’re the second least oppressed demographic, but second most participatory in oppressing.
Venus & Serena have it much tougher than her. They have to fight against both misogyny & racism, & a LOT from us white women.
— 💜THEE Unrepentant Bruncher.😷💉💉💉 (@ThunderHeadFan) March 14, 2022
Jane Campion won an award and let herself have a little racist girlbossing as a treat. https://t.co/An2E31nVnM
— Tom De Ville (@Devilligan) March 14, 2022
I genuinely don’t know why some white women love putting down the hardships black women faced in order to elevate themselves. Like Serena Williams and Venus Williams had nothing to do with this. #CriticsChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/1nrJzJp451
— TV Fanatic👑⚜️ (@TvKhaleesi) March 14, 2022
If we’re gonna contextualize her response to Sam Elliott, we have to contextualize this. This is peak white feminism and kind of dense. https://t.co/oC5cgRIZKM
— party boy (he/him) (@caseyyoung00) March 14, 2022
Last night Jane Campion did what white feminism has done for for over a century: dismissed black women.
I was so rooting for you Jane.
Not anymore.#blackwomenmatter #Feminism https://t.co/U7i5G5EwJd
— Anne Boleyn (Sussex Supporter) (@TudorChick1501) March 14, 2022
This is one of the many reasons why we as women need to break our own biases if we want for be done with patriarchy. This need to dig at another woman in order to try and my yourself look better. This was shitty Jane Campion. #BreakTheBias https://t.co/UMyevXg3aD
— Madeline McQueen (She/Her) (@MadelineMcQueen) March 14, 2022
#JaneCampion you have NEVER known or will ever know ANYTHING about the hurdles Venus & #SerenaWilliams had to jump to be able to EVEN COMPETE!
Competing against the racism & misogyny from not only men but from over privileged, self absorbed & pompous white women like yourself!
🤦🏽♀️ https://t.co/rC0sZziN5A— THEE BidenHarris2020 team (@KTforBiden) March 14, 2022
Wait, so in her book, it’s okay to be racist, as long as you reserve yourself the right to call out on other people’s ignorant remarks? The audacity! #JaneCampion #no_to_racism https://t.co/teKmxrhK8d
— Hamid Nikbakht (@nikleotide) March 14, 2022
During Sunday’s awards ceremony, Campion received three accolades for her Western film The Power of the Dog starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, in the categories for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
