I'd say it's artistic-cum-commercial protectionism, only the Academy has always been pretty cool with BRITISH (and other English-speaking) foreigners grabbing some of that shine. Xenophobia is closer to the thing, probs, with a healthy dash of favoritism. That may seem unduly harsh, unless you've ever seen some of the Hollywood Reporter's https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/brutally-honest-oscar-ballot-irishman-was-boring-tarantino-amazing-1275576Brutally Honest Oscar ballots: Parasite is beautifully done, but it didn't hold up the second time, and I don't think foreign films should be nominated with the regular films... I liked 1917 and Sam Mendes' direction, but I thought Quentin did a great job, and I want an American director to win. The Oscars is an American thing; English things win BAFTAs and the French vote for the French, and Quentin Tarantino should be honored for a great American movie... I didn't like American Factory — when the Chinese boss says "We're better than them" and they show the American workers as big fat slobs, I thought to myself, "Why is Obama attaching himself to this?" [Higher Ground, the production company run by Barack and Michelle Obama, is behind the film.] The Cave and For Sama were basically the same movie with different characters.