The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was trending on Twitter last week when the Oscar nominations for 2016 were announced. For the second year in a row, all 20 candidates for acting awards were white. This sparked outrage on social media and many celebrities chimed in on the issue, specifically Jada Pinkett-Smith and Spike Lee who announced they would not be attending the awards this year.
What films featuring a minority lead would you consider a good candidate for an Oscar nominee? It’s not that easy to think of good possibilities that would meet the Oscar nomination criteria. Could this be because of the media and how they promote certain films? How many interviews of Leonardo Dicaprio have you seen on TV lately? Now think of how many interviews you’ve seen with Will Smith for his role in “Concussion” or Idris Elba for his role in “Beasts of No Nation.”
Two other omissions from the Oscar nominees this year include “Creed” and “Straight Outta Compton.” The only nomination for “Creed,” a film about the famous boxer, staring Michael B. Jordan, went to Sylvester Stallone. “Straight Outta Compton” got a nomination for its writers who, as you guessed it, are white.
Celebrities are continuing to speak out about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Spike Lee announced on his Instagram that he would not be attending the ceremony this year. During an interview Spike Lee said “We may win an Oscar now and then, but an Oscar is not going to fundamentally change how Hollywood does business. I’m not talking about Hollywood stars. I’m talking about executives. We’re not in the room.”
Jada Pinkett-Smith announced her intended absence from the event in a video she posted on her Facebook page. “Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power. And we are a dignified people, and we are powerful,” she said. “So let’s let the Academy do them, with all grace and love. And let’s do us, differently.” Will Smith has recently announced he would join his wife in not attending.
While other celebrities are supporting the two stars’ decision, and some announcing their intent to join them, other celebrities aren’t fans of the idea. Whoopi Goldberg slammed the boycott on “The View” this past week. Goldberg, an Oscar winner herself, stated that it’s a slap in the face to actor Chris Rock who is hosting the awards this year. She didn’t hold back on how she felt about the boycotts.
“There’s not a lot of support for little companies that make movies that may be more diverse than anything else, but you can’t bitch about it just at Oscar time.” Goldberg went on to say that it pisses her off how we have this conversation every year.
This isn’t something new. The Oscars have had a controversial history of overlooking certain nominees. Something people aren’t talking about is the lack of women on the ballot year after year. Only four women have ever been nominated for best director. None were even seriously considered this year.
It’s no secret that there’s a diversity problem in Hollywood, and women and minorities are often overlooked in general, not just in Oscar nominations. No one is denying the fact that #OscarsSoWhite is wrong, but what is being done about it? Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs released a statement last Monday saying that “The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership.”
Here’s hoping we see a change in next year’s nominations.
It should be asked though, are the Oscar nominations the real issue here, or is it Hollywood itself?
Sources:
http://capoliticalreviewcom.c.presscdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/os…
http://cdn.video.abc.com/abcvideo/video_fep/cms_auto/abc/Oscars/oscars_v…
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/18/entertainment/oscars-boycott-spike-lee-jad…
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/whoopi-oscars-boycott-sl…