Outcry over 'First Man' signals controversial award season for films

Republican US Senator Marco Rubio has slammed 'First man', a Neil Armstrong biopic, for not including a scene where astronaut plants flag on the moon. Armstrong's sons, however, have defended the film

It’s not even September yet, and likely Oscar contenders are already stirring up controversy.

“First Man,” a Neil Armstrong biopic starring Ryan Gosling, was slammed by Republican US Senator Marco Rubio for not including a scene where the astronaut plants a flag on the moon. That led Armstrong’s sons, Rick and Mark, to put out a statement defending the film. They noted that there are several shots of the American flag on the moon, but the filmmakers “chose to focus on Neil looking back at the Earth.”

The film, which will be released nationally by Universal Pictures in October, was just screened