“Setting aside the more obscure, technical categories, when it comes to the best picture award along with the major nominations for acting, writing and directing, there are, ahem, zero people of color in the Oscar race this year.”
With everyone talking about the Oscars we’d usually not touch on the subject, but it’s important to note that this year’s picks are looking rather pale.
(via MeFi)
2 responses
this really isn’t just about the oscars, but hollywood as a whole. i can’t think of a single movie this year involving people of color that was marketed to me. i think tyler perry had it on the mark last year when he said something about the academy having no understanding of why he was at the awards or why his movies made money.
even in a “good” year, you will have entries such as precious, which offer a conflicted approach to race. this will be counter-balanced by a story such as the blind side, where a savior such as sandra bullock will be the mythical fairy godmother saving some poor black kid from a life in the ghetto.
there’s a reason why the most recently maligned oscar best picture winner was crash. hollywood doesn’t take the time to understand race.
Until there is more diversity in Hollywood different cultures won’t get exposure and when they do it will be the kinds of films @EC referred to above, starring highest-paid actors. But the changes need to happen at the management and production levels, not necessarily by throwing a “token” POC actor in for comic relief or to spice things up a bit.
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