It's that time of year again, award season. As the media tracks how celebs prepare for the awards this year, one fact is glaringly obvious. There is a lack of white men represented in the nominations.
Of course, for years we, as audience members in movie theaters, have witnessed the absence of white male directors, leading men, and producers in the film industry. Yet, it seems that no one is willing or brave enough to call attention to this obnoxiously large divide in the business-- that is, until today.
Each year the Academy Awards furthers this racial and gender based divide by failing to include white men in their nominations. Instead of nominating movies like, "Twelve Years a Slave" and "Selma," we should nominate "The Martian." This harrowing story about a man fighting for his life on the isolating planet of Mars is relatable and way more important than the plight continually faced by African Americans today.
It brought awareness to the daily struggles of the Mars rover and highlighted the horrendous environmental crisis present on our neighboring planet. Not to mention the fact that the space ships were given the best roles! Poor Mr. Damon was left, literally, in the dust. Yet, there seems to be a nomination missing for this movie and its stars.
While the lead actors category is highlighted by the media for its controversial lack of diversity, most people probably didn't realize how many times white men are kept out of the Best Directors category. It's almost constantly overrun with women and minorities! It's surprising how often this seems to slip the minds of viewers everywhere. Audiences watch movies without even realizing that they are perpetuating the classic stereotypes that Hollywood is overrun with minority actors and female directors.
Just this year, "Straight Outta Compton" was a box office blow out, but did you know that at the around same time it was released, "Hitman: Agent 47" came out? This story (though told in the past) showed the life of a hitman continually on the run. Yet, its notoriety was overshadowed by the true story of the N.W.A. How has no one seen the unfortunate divide promoted by big production companies? They seem willing to give all of their money to movies that have all African American or all female casts and crews.
Obviously, to continue making the Academy Awards more selective and appear more inclusive of white men, there were only eight nominations for Best Picture this year. Normally, there are open spaces to honor ten films, but just to keep the viewers on their toes, those sneaky execs decided to keep some films out. "Straight Outta Compton" was one of the films kept out of the ceremony this year in an attempt to prove to the public that the Academy does, in fact, support the performances and work of the marginalized white men.
