If It's 'The Artist' vs. 'Hugo,' Hollywood Self-References Win January 24, 2012, 11:14 am Both films are about the film business. But, from Hollywood's point of view, one picture comes from the outside and is looking in, the other comes from the inside, and is looking out. "The Artist" was directed by a French filmmaker, Michel Hazanavicius, who made a black-and-white, nearly silent film that looks lovingly at old Hollywood, as the 1920s were ending. "Hugo," by contrast, was directed by a consummate Hollywood insider, Martin Scorsese, who looks lovingly at French film culture in nearly the same era. That both are a feast for nostalgia buffs has been widely noted in the run-up to Tuesday's awards nominations. Now, a key question becomes which of the films will Hollywood's insiders, who are overwhelmingly the largest bloc of Oscar voters, adopt? The Weinstein Company, which is distributing "The Artist," can point to the large number of character actors from New York and Los Angeles who found work in "The Artist." Paramount Pictures, which is distributing "Hugo," can point to Mr. Scorsese's status as the godfather of contemporary American film. Either way, Oscar night promises to be the most self-referential in memory.