To be fair I was on the other side of the fence... 15 years ago I'd say. It's pretty expected in those sort of communities to be extra-sensitive to any perceived slight, condescension, snobbery or contempt from the establishment. I think the "it's not cinema" bit is what struck the fragile nerve. I'd still could see where the "gatekeeping" argument could come from, there's some potential validity to it though I think it's more likely that Scorsese, Coppola or Loach (like Spielberg or Cameron before them, when they spoke about the industry shifted) may be "out of touch" with the times or cranky with the march of progress for good or ill. If anything they're bemoaning the lack of diversity, not trying to restrict access to filmmaking.
