It’s safe to say that the film industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs in 2023. From box office hits like Oppenheimer and Barbie taking over our screen, to the SAG-AFTRA strike halting movie productions and sparking discussion about the disrespect for actors and actresses.
Now, in 2024, the film award season has begun — the Emmy Awards were held on Jan. 15, while the Golden Globes broadcast on Jan. 7. Many fan-favourite shows walked away with multiple awards, such as The Bear and Succession both going home with six wins at the Emmys.
Although there seem to be more improvements to diversity within the film industry, there remains a divide when it comes to Black women and other women of colour being appreciated for their talents in comparison to their white counterparts. Hollywood continues to undermine the accomplishments of the Black community, and it has been an ongoing issue.
The Little Mermaid
The trailer for The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey, was released in March 2023 on YouTube with mixed reviews from the public. The movie was released on May 26, garnering over $569.6 million.
As others celebrated the milestone of a Black Disney princess, there was outrage from other members of the public. The trailer has over 26 million views, but at the time of its release, it had accumulated over 839,000 dislikes on YouTube. This led YouTube to disable the dislike button on the video. Many viewers in the comments voiced their frustration with having a Black princess.
The controversy was extremely heartbreaking, especially for young Black women such as myself who never grew up with media representation. Bailey was the perfect choice to remake such an old-time classic.
In an interview with Variety, Bailey said, “I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special, and that they should be a princess in every single way.”
Angela Bassett Honorary Oscar
Angela Bassett recently received an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science for her contributions to film and television. The Black Panther actress began her career in 1985 and has starred in countless movies, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, What’s Love Got to Do with It and other notable films.
Even though she has acted in films’ greatest hits, she has only been nominated for an Oscar twice: once in 1994 for her performance in What’s Love Got to Do with It, and in 2022 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Black Panther.
In her honorary Oscar speech, Bassett said, “I call their names to acknowledge every one of them this evening for being beacons of possibility and hope for little Black and brown girls who aspire to one day pursue the dream of becoming an actor.”
Ayo Edebiri and Niecy Nash
At the recent Emmy Awards, Ayo Edebiri made history by becoming the third Black woman to win Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sydney in the show The Bear.
She has joined other notable names such as Niecy Nash, who also made history as the third Black actress to win an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the limited series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The mini-series was released on Netflix last year and became the second-most-watched English series in Netflix history within 28 days.
Both women gave heartfelt speeches, thanking their family and friends and expressing the need for more representation.
Nash said, “And you know who I want to thank? I want to thank me – for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do. I want to say to myself in front of all these beautiful people, ‘Go on girl, with your bad self. You did that.'”
The film industry has a long way to go with inclusion and diversity within Hollywood. Black women continue to be left out of conversations regarding social issues and the portrayal of our communities. Black stories shouldn’t only be made when discussing slavery or hard-pressing topics. Our movies with our culture, love, and laughter should be appreciated just as much, if not even more.