Entertainment Live: Susan Sarandon knows what it takes to win an Oscar, but on Friday the veteran US actress blasted Hollywood for only handing out statuettes to stars backed by “the Harvey Weinsteins of this world.”

Speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of “Blackbird,” the Academy Award-winning star said Oscars glory is only possible today with vast amounts of money and lobbying. Sarandon admitted she would love to win for “Blackbird,” in which she plays a terminally ill mother ending her own life, but said: “I take it with a grain of salt because I know that it’s up against, you know, whatever Meryl Streep is doing this year.”

“Honestly, film now has become so corporate to get an Oscar,” she said. “When I got nominated five times and won once, you didn’t have to spend.” “That would never happen now,” she said, pointing to the six-month-long campaigns for nominations that have become commonplace, including VIP screenings, brunches and other “opinion-maker things.”

Producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas said procuring funding for the female- dominated film, starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu and Cardi B, had been problematic, with the end result shot for $20.7 million in just 29 days.

The film, which premieres Saturday, is based on the real-life story of a group of strippers and sex workers who scammed businessmen out of vast sums, including slipping drugs into their drinks before swiping their cards. Potential financial backers for the film had asked for changes to be made, including presenting the male “victims” as villains by inventing criminal back stories.

Dhaka 07 September (campuslive24.com)//MIH