American Factory’s Oscar win for best documentary bittersweet, with co-producer and chairman of factory it features stuck in China

Coronavirus travel ban prevents some of those responsible for success of American Factory attending the Academy Awards ceremony

Filmmakers pay tribute backstage to Barack and Michelle Obama, whose production company backed the film about a Chinese company taking over a US factory

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Julia Reichert and Jeff Reichert pose with the Oscar for best documentary feature for American Factory at the Governors Ball following the Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The film is about a Chinese company taking over a former US car plant and how two workplace cultures mesh together. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:45pm, 10 Feb 2020Updated: 6:45pm, 10 Feb 2020

The win for documentary feature was bittersweet for the directors of American Factory , who were missing a co-producer and the Chinese chairman of the factory featured in the film on their big night.

Both of the no-shows are currently unable to leave China due to the Trump administration’s travel restrictions on Chinese visitors as the coronavirus continues to spread.

“That inconvenience pales when compared to people losing their lives, suffering because of this virus,” said co-director Steven Bognar. “Our hearts go out to the people who are dealing with this very, very deadly virus.”

Bognar’s filmmaking partner, Julia Reichert, also stressed the importance of cross-cultural collaboration in a divisive world, citing the unifying vision of American Factory’s highest-profile supporters: Barack and Michelle Obama.

From left: Julia Reichert, Lindsay Utz, Steven Bognar, Jeff Reichert and Julie Parker Benello accept the Oscar for documentary feature for American Factory on stage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP

“I think that’s why President Obama and Michelle Obama took on our film at Sundance,” Reichert said. “They felt that they could help people listen to each other, and … through these stories, create empathy and build relationships. … You [stand] in the shoes of the other, and there is no other.”