The Oscars are not an indication of the greatest achievements in cinema; they are instead the result of what happens when popularity meets expensive campaigning, the relationships among people in the film industry, a desire to do the right thing (unless that’s the name of the film), or at least to look like the right thing is being done, making up for mistakes of previous years, and the sheer luck of timing. When your movie is released matters — both in terms of how fresh it will be in the memory of Academy voters, and in which other films it’s up against.
Source: Academy Proves Again Oscars Don’t Represent Cinema’s Greatest Achievements | Sojourners