BEIJING, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Many moviegoers in China were dismayed Monday that the Academy Awards snubbed Martin Scorsese, the China Daily reported.
Scorsese, whose latest work "The Aviator" was nominated in 11 categories, was upstaged for the Best Film Award and Best Director Award by "Million Dollar Baby," a film about boxing and euthanasia that was directed by Clint Eastwood.
The academy gave the best director nod to Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby." That was only one of four top flight awards "Baby" won. By contrast, "The Aviator" won a few secondary awards and a Best Supporting Actress Award for Cate Blanchett.
For Chinese fans, Scorsese's loss hit home. Scorsese has a sizable fan base in China, and his previously nominated works such as "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas" have been admired by ardent Chinese moviegoers, the Daily said.
"This was truly a very cold night for Marty," Ye Yundao, a programmer for a Guangzhou-based broadband film distributor, told the newspaper.
