*This article does not represent the views of Her Campus FSU
2015 was a big year for film, and if you consider yourself, even in the slightest, to be a movie critic, then watching the Oscar nominations is quite a big deal to you. It’s well known that receiving an Oscar nomination, and moreover the award itself, is the “cream of the crop” in terms of recognition in Hollywood. Thankfully, this year our beloved Leonard DiCaprio was nominated for best actor in a leading role in the film The Revenant (lets keep our fingers crossed for our dear Leo), but since its institution there has been countless debates on the “whitewashing” of award shows, particularly the Oscars. This year seemed to be no different.
image courtesy of: Contently
Out of the 20 acting Oscar nominees for last year’s films, none of the nominees were people of color. Contrary to the public’s affinity for films like Creed, which feature black actor Michael B. Jordan, or Straight Outta Compton, films showcasing minority lead actors did not receive Oscar nominations. Instead, it seems as though these same films were given recognition to the white counterparts who had a hand in the film process. Sylvester Stallone received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Creed albeit Michael B. Jordan’s agreeable stellar performance. Straight Outta Compton did receive a nomination, but only for its screenplay, of which both writers just happen to be white. Perhaps the Academy felt that Selma’s Oscar nomination last year for Best Picture and win for Best Song would be enough to hold us over?
Image courtesy of: iDigitalTimes
Hollywood stars and Academy members alike are popping up in response to racist accusations about the lack of minority representation at the Oscars. Stacey Dash? I’m sure you remember her from the quintessential 90s movie, Clueless. “Either we want to have segregation or integration. If we don’t want segregation, then we need to get rid of channels like BET and the BET Awards and the Image Awards, where you’re only awarded if you’re black. If it were the other way around, we would be up in arms. It’s a double standard,” she says. Many people may not know, but although BET does stand for “Black Entertainment Television,” anyone is capable of receiving a BET award. Its beginnings as a television station was a way to create spaces for a minority to celebrate their own works because of the lack of opportunity elsewhere, which still seems to be an issue. “I happen to think Straight Outta Compton is not a great film for reasons of structure and substance. I can imagine it is a powerful affirmation for those who share the assumptions of its music and see it as fans. But to me, a good film has to show a lot more than this one does.” Jeremy Larner, a member of the writer’s branch of the Academy, supports the idea that numbers at the box office is not all that is notable of making a good film, and maybe moviegoers should realize that before getting up in arms about the lack of nominees.
Will and Jada Smith, amongst other notable celebrities like Spike Lee, spoke out this year saying they will be boycotting the Oscars. “But for my part, I think that I have to protect and fight for the ideals that make our country and make our Hollywood community great… at this point, the Academy is 94 percent Caucasian and 77 percent male. It’s just difficult to get a diverse cultural sampling from that group… I say, lets keep debating. Let’s do our best to keep it in love and keep it in light,” says Will Smith.
So who’s to blame if there is such a scapegoat? Is it really surprise that the Academy’s voters did not nominate any black leads this year when in fact 94% of the group is white? What are the odds of diverse nominations if those doing the voting aren’t diverse themselves? Or maybe, instead of throwing knives at the Academy, we should be riled up about how challenging it is for minorities to score leading roles that don’t feature them in stereotypical roles like slaves or nannies. Some discredit the film industry as a whole for underrepresentation. Some believe that just this year maybe it’s because the movies truly didn’t deserve nominations, and those films just happen to feature minorities in the lead. But lets not forget that Chris Rock is hosting this years Oscars! Reparations? Maybe not, but we can be sure he’ll incite laughter and possibly make some commentary on this years strikingly similar nomination pool. So, will you be tuning in?