Last year, the Oscars made headlines not for a major upset for the winner of Best Picture but because of a stunning lack of diversity in the nominees. There were no actors of color nominated for the major awards. The primarily African-American movies “Straight Outta Compton” and “Creed” only managed to receive nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Sylvester Stallone) respectively — the Academy having completely skipped over them in nominations for Best Actor/Actress and Best Picture.
Noting the white-washed nominations, stars like Will and Jada Pinkett Smith boycotted the award show, hoping to draw attention to the lack of African-American representation in the Academy Awards — something many African-Americans in the entertainment industry take personally. Because of their public announcement and the support they received from other celebrities, the Smiths were a major factor in getting #OscarsSoWhite to trend on Twitter in the weeks leading up to the award show.
This year, even with more diversity, movies like “Fences,” “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight” were still snubbed in some of the top categories. Many believe Taraji P. Henson deserved a nomination in the Best Actress category for “Hidden Figures,” and Denzel Washington for Best Director in “Fences.” And, despite having three films with predominantly African-American casts, only Denzel Washington in "Fences" managed to receive a nomination in the Best Actor/Actress categories.
However, there were many top contenders for the prized spots in the nominations and because of that, there was no doubt that some movies would be snubbed. And even with the slights, the Academy has certainly made a step in the right direction for noticing and attributing value to movies with actors of color. But some question if the Academy is sacrificing the credibility of their nominations to appease the boycotters of 2016. And to me, the answer to this question is a firm no.
“Fences,” “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight” are not films that the Academy had to sacrifice their prestige for. They are incredible movies that are finally getting attention drawn to them. This year has more predominantly African-American movies because filmmakers realized that these are stories that need to be told, are worth being told and are what people want to hear.
While it is the Academy’s responsibility to nominate and award the best films of the year, it is also the responsibility of directors, producers and screenwriters to make movies that document and explore topics that are more diverse than what is currently being made. By boycotting the Oscars and drawing attention to the lack of African-American representation in film, celebrities accomplished just what they set out to — to have more notice and respect.
Hopefully, in the coming years we will continue to see a significant change in the types of movies being made and the nominations they receive for the Oscars. Until then, we can recognize the progress that has been made already and continue to strive for more.