Oscar nominations are three weeks away and the eyes of the public are again on the Academy to see if it will assume the responsibility to honor creatives of all races and identities.
Since its inception in 1929, The Academy Awards have celebrated the outstanding work of white men in the film industry – failing year after year to honor the work of creatives of color. A Black-directed film was not awarded the ceremony’s most acclaimed category, Best Picture, until the 86th Academy Awards when it went to Twelve Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen.
Despite constant public calls to the Academy and the film industry as a whole to do better, it seems to fall over itself every year, making major missteps. The public voiced concern in 1990 when Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing was not nominated for Best Picture, and instead, Driving Miss Daisy took the award. In 2015, no actors of color or female directors were nominated, sparking the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, created by April Reign. The following year showed little-to-no improvement, moving many creators including Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith to boycott the ceremony.
“But, How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let’s Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can’t Act?!” Lee wrote in an Instagram post announcing his boycott.
Still, in 2019 Green Book won Best Picture over nominated films by directors of color such as BlacKkKlansman, Black Panther and Roma. The moment was likened to the Do The Right Thing snub of 1990. During the 2020 nomination announcements for Best Picture, co-host Issa Rae subtly called out the lack of gender diversity among the nominees saying, “Congratulations to those men.”
This year’s 93rd Academy Awards comes after a year in which police across the country have murdered unarmed Black people which sparked public unrest. Pressure was then put on individuals and industries to be actively anti-racist. With nominations set for March 15, people are waiting to see if the Academy will finally take this year to step up and honor the many outstanding films created by or featuring Black creatives.
While we wait, here are six Black-directed, produced and/or starred in films predicted to be nominated for Best Picture and where to watch them.
- One Night in Miami
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One Night in Miami is the fictional depiction of the night of Feb. 25, 1964, in which Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown gather and reflect on their roles in the cultural moment of the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement as Black cultural icons.
Directed by: Regina King
Written by: Kemp Powers
Leads: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr. and Eli Goree
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
- The Forty-Year-Old Version
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The Forty-Year-Old Version, a semi-biographical dramady, follows Radha Blank who was once considered a rising-star playwright but is now 40, working as a teacher and facing rejection at every turn. Discouraged and artistically drained, Radha revisits an old passion of hers, rap.
For her work writing, directing and starring in The Forty-Year-Old Version, Radha Blank won The Sundance Institute’s 2020 Vanguard Award.
Directed by: Radha Blank
Written by: Radha Blank
Leads: Radha Blank, Peter Kim and Oswin Benjamin
Where to Watch: Netflix
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a screen adaptation of August Wilson’s 1982 play of the same name. The story depicts a tension-filled day in the life of the “mother of the blues” Ma Rainey and her band in 1927 Chicago. The film features lead performances from award-winning actors Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman.
Directed by: George C. Wolfe
Written by: Ruben Santiago-Hudson (based on a play by August Wilson)
Leads: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, Jeremy Shamos, Dusan Brown and Joshua Harto
Where to Watch: Netflix
- Judas and the Black Messiah
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Judas and the Black Messiah is a historic retelling of Illinois Black Panther chapter chairman Fred Hampton’s state-sanctioned assassination on Dec. 4, 1969. The film highlights William O’Neal’s infiltration into the party chapter and his role as an FBI informant that eventually led to the 1969 police raid and murder of Hampton.
Directed by: Shaka King
Written by: Shaka King, Will Berson, Kenneth Lucas and Keith Lucas
Leads: Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield
Where to Watch: HBO Max through March 14
- Da 5 Bloods
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Da 5 Bloods is award-winning director, Spike Lee’s most recent film. The film follows five Vietnam War veterans as they return to Vietnam in search of the remains of their late squad leader and a hidden gold fortune. During their quest, the group faces the continued impact of the war’s immorality.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Written by: Spike Lee, Kevin Willmott, Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo
Leads: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Johnny Nguyen and Chadwick Boseman
Where to Watch: Netflix
- Malcolm & Marie
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Malcolm & Marie depicts the night of the premiere for Malcolm’s film Imani which is largely based on his long-term partner, Marie’s life. At the premier, Malcolm forgot to thank Marie in his speech, which leads to a tumultuous post-premier night in which the two confront and question their relationship.
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Written by: Sam Levinson
Leads: Zendaya and John David Washington
Where to Watch: Netflix
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
Photos: Her Campus Media Library