Diversity and the Academy Awards
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Diversity and the Academy Awards

There has always been controversy as the the diversity in the Oscar nominations - so what is the solution?

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Diversity and the Academy Awards
International Business Times

As per the annual January tradition, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released their list of nominees for the coveted ceremony. In what was no doubt sparked by the controversial “whitewashed” 88th Academy Awards, this year featured many nominees of all races and backgrounds. Many of the Best Picture nominees feature a diverse cast and crew. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a frontrunner for Best Original Song, making his chances of the coveted EGOT award collection even higher. Despite all this, there was the usual snubs, and of course, controversy continues over certain choices – La La Land being nominated despite featuring two white leads. People will find something to complain about, this is America after all. But are the Oscars always something to find racism in?

In the early Golden Age of Hollywood, minority actors and crew were not allowed into the Oscar ceremony. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (Gone With the Wind), but the ceremony was being held at the then-segregated Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. She accepted the award, but was escorted to a table in the far corner, surrounded by her manager and her personal escort – the Academy had to call in a favor to make the hotel allow her in, but with this condition. James Baskett received an honorary award in 1948 due to the campaigning by industry giant Walt Disney, thus being the first African-American man to win an Oscar. Fast forward many years, and the Oscars still focused on white-led films, with Seven Samurai being up for just Best Costume Design and Art Design, but not Best Picture.

The 2016 ceremony was highly controversial because of the lack of diverse nominees in the major categories. And while there were many nonwhite actors, crew, and movies that should have been nominated, we cannot ignore the “big names” who surprisingly were not nominated either. For example, while David Oyelowo was not nominated for his role as Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was not nominated for The Walk. But at the same time, I can see the controversy did have some genuine points. It is true that white actors usually win the major awards, and it is true that the minority nominees are usually in the behind-the-scenes work. And the 2016 nominees weren't necessarily all that good either, again with The Walk only getting a visual effects nod. It poses questions of how exactly does the Academy make these choices, and what makes something/someone “Best Picture” or “Best Actress” worthy.

The solution, however, is not to make diversity a requirement for Oscar nominations. That would only cause studios to either push back a movie due to the casting/roles required or force a bad movie through the Academy for the nomination. A film about Queen Victoria could be the best movie of the year, but if the Academy made a diversity requirement, it would not get the recognition it deserves. Perhaps Hollywood just needs to make more movies with more diverse casts – look at the recent Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The cast includes Diego Luna and Riz Ahmed in major roles, but it does not feel like they are in there to fill a quota. Meanwhile, 2015's Fantastic Four had Michael B. Jordan cast as the Human Torch simply to “appeal to a diverse audience,” and while Jordan did well in the role, it caused them to have to rewrite the movie upon casting Kate Mara as his sister. But let's be real – the casting was the least of Fantastic Four's problems.

Another solution to primarily white actors and productions being nominated is that more films should be looked at, not just the ones that got a full theatrical release. Netflix's Beasts of No Nation very well could have been nominated, and there are countless independently produced and released movies that have what the Academy is looking for. But the real issue is that Hollywood doesn't make enough “Oscar-level” movies with the casts people want to see in said movies. We're off to a good start on that, with Rogue One and the upcoming Black Panther, which is set to be the first primarily African-American cast superhero movie. Granted, the chances of a superhero movie being nominated for any major Oscar is slim, though there is The Dark Knight.

There were many snubs this year – Silence didn't get a Best Picture nod, nothing at all for The Founder or Captain America: Civil War, and Jeremy Irons was not up for Best Supporting Actor for his work on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (okay, that may just be personal opinion). The nominations pool is much more diverse and covers a larger variety of film than in previous years, but the worst thing they can do is make a “diversity quota” for the requirements. Films set in early colonial America would not be valid, nor would one about the mafia. Hollywood just has to allow more movies to become Oscar contenders, not just ones made to be Oscar bait. Straight Outta Compton could have been at least nominated, as the public liked it enough. But I do see their reasoning when it comes to avoiding movies the public enjoyed – that way, Deadpool wouldn't have to compete with something of sustenance and compelling cinema like Moonlight. Maybe we just don't know what the Academy does when they select their finalists. Until we discover their secrets, let's just take what we have and watch them become more progressive in terms of film. Here's hoping Black Panther can gain some traction.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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