Oscars botch tribute to late Aussie four-time nominee

THE Aussie producer whose photo was mistakenly flashed up during the In Memoriam segment at the Oscars says she’s “devastated.”

AUSTRALIAN movie producer Jan Chapman has revealed she was “devastated” to see her photo mistakenly flashed up in a memorial at the Oscars ceremony.

The In Memoriam segment during the Academy Awards paid tribute to those who’ve made a mark in the film industry and have passed away in the past twelve months — among them, acclaimed Australian costume designer Janet Patterson.

Patterson, who was nominated for four Oscars across her career for her work on The Piano, Portrait of a Lady, Oscar and Lucinda and Bright Star respectively, died last October.

An intensely private woman who preferred to stay behind the scenes of the film industry, Patterson never sought the spotlight and so very few pictures of her are publicly available. That may go some way to explaining how the Academy ended up using the wrong photo to honour her:

It’s the wrong photo.

The image used was instead Jan Chapman - a 66-year-old Sydney-based producer who is very much alive.

Chapman, a close friend of Patterson’s was horrified.

“I was devastated by the use of my image in place of my great friend and long-time collaborator Janet Patterson,” she said after the ceremony.

“Janet was a great beauty and four-time Oscar nominee and it is very

disappointing that the error was not picked up.”

Eagle-eyed fans and friends of both Patterson and Chapman took to social media to point out the error.

Oops. Did #Oscars just show living producer Jan Chapman in place of deceased costume designer Janet Patterson during In Memoriam?!

— Stephen Groenewegen (@swgroenewegen) February 27, 2017

THAT'S NOT JANET PATTERSON! #OSCARS Jan Chapman is ok

— Fiona Williams (@anythingbutfifi) February 27, 2017

#InMemoriam @TheAcademy used a picture of (not deceased) producer Jan Chapman rather than an image of Janet Patterson?! #sloppy

— Amy P. (@ampowter) February 27, 2017

To make matters more confusing, the pair had worked together, with Chapman producing The Piano — and were photographed together around the time of the film’s release, in one of the few pictures of Patterson publicly available:

From left: Producer Jan Chapman, the late Janet Patterson and director Jane Campion. Picture: Berliner Studio/BEImages/australscope

The photo mix-up wasn’t the only controversial part of this year’s In Memoriam segment, with many viewers voicing their displeasure at a list of ‘snubs’: Comedian Garry Shandling, Brady Bunch star Florence Henderson and veteran actress Doris Roberts were among the late Hollywood stars many felt had deserved a place in the segment.

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