Another year, another list of big-name nominations are announced, revealing a shocking lack of diversity among Oscar contenders.
Selma, the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic backed by Hollywood A-listers Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt, among others, was one of eight films nominated for Best Picture at the 87th annual Academy Awards on Thursday. Despite outstanding reviews from both critics and audiences alike, the motion picture was snubbed in all the other major categories including Best Actor; only nabbing two nominations in total. Congrats to Golden Globe winners Common and John Legend on a second nod for their original song “Glory.”
On Thursday, Jan 15. all actor categories announced were dominated by white entertainers; female screenwriters and directors were also snubbed.
Although Oscar voters had the opportunity to make history by nominating Selma’s Ava DuVernay as the first African American woman in the Best Director category, instead they opted to reward an all-male, heavily white contingent of stars. An instance of diversity was shown however, when Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, picked up a nod for his work on Birdman. But was it enough?
Ironically, the snubs for Selma came on MLK’s 86th birthday. But that didn’t dissuade DuVernay from tweeting in honor of the famed civil rights leader. ”An Oscar gift for you. To SELMA cast + crew led by our miracle David Oyelowo! To Common + Legend! Kudos! March on!” the director wrote.
This year’s nominations are certain to reawaken past complaints, that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is biased.
“Possibility number one: 12 Years a Slave wins best picture — possibility number two: You’re all racists,” talk show host Ellen DeGeneres joked as she kicked off the 2014 Oscars.
In 2012, a Los Angeles Times article reported that Oscar voters were 94 percent White, 77 percent male and only 14 percent were under the age of 50. Despite their efforts to offer range by appointing African-American Cheryl Boone Isaacs as president in 2013, Thursday’s nominations are definitely a step backward. But with a lack of diversity among voters should we expect diversity in their selections?
What do you think of this year’s snubs and DuVernay’s response?
