Awards Season 2015

[Feego]

Just for a little perspective, here are the black actors who have received nominations in the last 10 years, going back to 2006's nominations (I think it's key not to use the term African-American here, as not all people of color are American):

2006: Terrence Howard

2007: Forest Whitaker (Winner), Will Smith, Djimon Hounsou, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson (Winner)

2008: Ruby Dee

2009: Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson

2010: Morgan Freeman, Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique (Winner)

2011: None

2012: Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer (Winner)

2013: Denzel Washington, Quvenzhane Wallis

2014: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Barkhad Abdi, Lupita Nyong’o (Winner)

2015: None

[Trees]

There are a lot of films I have not seen yet this year. Are there specific black actors or actresses who were worthy of a nomination but who were overlooked?

[criterion10]

Are there specific black actors or actresses who were worthy of a nomination but who were overlooked?

I would've argued that both Idris Elba and Abraham Attah from Beasts of No Nation were certainly worthy of strong consideration (in my personal awards that I create merely for my own edification, I currently have the latter up for a nomination).

For the record: I've only seen 57 2015 releases, so I still have many to catch up on.

[swo17]

The only films to pull from that are immediately coming to mind are that, Concussion, Compton, and, well, Chi-Raq.

Personally I blame Tom Hardy for taking all the roles. There was even that movie where they gave him two. Surely one of those parts could have gone to someone of color.

[Professor Wagstaff]

Creed is frequently being mentioned in the discussion as well. Also Samuel L. Jackson for The Hateful Eight.

[FrauBlucher]

Can a member from the UK speak to this topic in regards to the BAFTA awards? Just curious if they have this issue overseas.

[Luke M]

Creed is frequently being mentioned in the discussion as well. Also Samuel L. Jackson for The Hateful Eight.

I loved Creed but I think anything other than Stallone's well-deserved nomination is reaching.

[Professor Wagstaff]

Creed is frequently being mentioned in the discussion as well. Also Samuel L. Jackson for The Hateful Eight.

I loved Creed but I think anything other than Stallone's well-deserved nomination is reaching.

I would not argue with you on that. Besides, Michael B. Jordan's work in Creed feels too derivative of his better, more nuanced work on Friday Night Lights.

[TMDaines]

Can a member from the UK speak to this topic in regards to the BAFTA awards? Just curious if they have this issue overseas.

Not really. Race seems to always be a more sensitive issue in the States and affirmative action doesn't really have the same level of support over here. It's interesting to compare something like the MOBO awards and the BET awards, where the emphasis is contrasted between the former celebrating nominally Black culture, regardless of the ethnicity of the performer, and the other celebrating the achievements of black people. I think that speaks to some level of subtle differences between our countries and how Black culture sits within the rest of the cultural sphere. I think there's greater cohesion. Maybe I am wrong.

Regardless, you look at the nominees for film for BET Awards in recent years and it is hard to discern a disproportionate amount of black people being robbed. Annie got nominated for Best Film last year FFS.

[Feego]

I do often feel that awards that are set up specifically to honor the achievements of one racial or ethnic group do more to highlight just how little quality material there is in Hollywood for such groups than to give them their due. As a person of Mexican descent, I am always left with my head hanging in shame when I see who is nominated for the ALMA (American Latino Media Arts) Awards. In 2012, we had such illustrious nominees as Sofia Vergara for Favorite Supporting Actress in The Three Stooges and Puss in Boots for Favorite Movie. While it's worth mentioning years when no non-white actors are nominated for Oscars (and let's face it, black actors have been historically better represented at the Oscars than Latino, Asian, and Middle Eastern actors), the fury of the #oscarsowhite movement misses the forest for the trees. Until Hollywood offers a greater variety of studio-produced, high profile prestige movies for non-white actors -- that is, the same kind of roles that are offered to Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and Daniel Day-Lewis -- it seems rather pointless to attack the Academy for overlooking the scant films out there. We also need to seriously question the major awards contenders that do feature black actors in prominent roles. It's hard to say we've come that far when the last two black Oscar-winning actress won for playing, respectively, a maid and a slave.

[captveg]

It's disappointing the wonderful diversity we've seen in television over the last few years hasn't been reflected in feature films. It just seems odd.

Tentpole box office films are a better reflection of how feature films are doing in comparison to TV, IMO.

The numbers of Academy-type films with minority parts is the real culprit. There were a few dozen films with acting roles for white actors that the nominees got pulled from, while the opportunities for minority nominees were from maybe 4-5 films. Maybe.

Make several films that Oscar voters like - period pieces and/or based on real people - and the nominations will follow. 17/20 acting nominees this year are either from a period piece or are characters based on real people. (Damon, Rampling and Stallone being the lone exceptions - and the latter is perceptionally a historical figure in pop culture).

[knives]

Kevin B Lee has the first of his typically entertaining Oscar break down videos online.

[Altair]

But even if the Academy's demographics mirror the population of America, would 13% African American members really make that much difference to the films being nominated?

Er, yes? 13% of the membership is a huge chunk of membership that would likely result in several different films being included/excluded every year.

a) That presumes all African American voters would vote for... African American films b) The Oscars lack of diversity in acting categories are symptomatic, rather than causal. There are what, four films that could've had more (or received) nominations? Michael B. Jordan wasn't campaigned for, none of the actors in Straight Outta Compton were given campaigns and Beasts of No Nations was Netflix. If there were 13% African American membership, then conceivably Will Smith would've been nominated. A triumph for diversity! Uhm, not really. Until more and better parts are given to African Americans then we're not going to see too many nominations given to minorities; the Oscars are merely reflective of the situation. Frankly, just lowering the average membership age would contribute to having a more diverse set of nominations than replicating demographics.

Fact is, if people want inclusion every year, then, unless the industry changes radically (don't hold your breath), then they will need to have separate nominations: Best Actor for Person of Colour etc. I'm not being sarcastic. In a perfect world we would just have one Best Actor, regardless of sex, but if we did then women nominees would be in very short supply. So if the Academy already acknowledges a differentiation between gender has to be made, why not by race as well?

Also, isn't it ironic that none of these thinkpieces on the internet seem to have overlooked the possibility of Best Director going three years in a row to a Hispanic, an absolutely unprecedented situation? Is it because neither Cuarón or González Iñárritu foreground their ethnicity?

[domino harvey]

John Singleton gives a more level-headed take on the situation

[Feego]

Also, isn't it ironic that none of these thinkpieces on the internet seem to have overlooked the possibility of Best Director going three years in a row to a Hispanic, an absolutely unprecedented situation? Is it because neither Cuarón or González Iñárritu foreground their ethnicity?

Not to mention an Asian director winning the year before Cuarón.

[who is bobby dylan]

Here's a statement from Cheryl Isaacs Boone on the lack of diversity this year and the AMPAS continuing plans to address it.

Will just add that while the issue of diversity in Hollywood is bigger than the Academy Awards, the Oscars are probably the best first target for political activism.

Unlike the various studios, the AMPAS is a single institution, everyone knows what it is, it is highly visible to the public and occurs at the same time of year (MLK Day through Black History month) when diversity is already on people's minds.

Will changing the makeup of the academy and nominating more work in both acting and technical fields by women and people of color by itself alleviate all of the sexism and racism present in Hollywood? Of course not. But, would it be one small victory on the road towards that? Probably so.

Also want to add, that while I think it's fine to focus on the Academy Awards, that the studios themselves shouldn't be let off the hook for how poorly they campaigned for the few films that were potential contenders Straight Outta Compton and Creed this year and Selma and Beyond the Lights last year.

[movielocke]

Here's an academy stay that is worse than oscars so white. Only one nongendered category has never had a woman nominated in all 80+ years: best cinematography is exclusively a boys only club, an unbroken streak of men only year in and year out.

[mfunk9786]

John Singleton gives a more level-headed take on the situation

Not so sure that "let's ignore this issue that even the Academy acknowledges is a problem and assume it'll go away" is any more level-headed than what Lee had to say, frankly. Just on the opposite side of the level.

[who is bobby dylan]

Here's an academy stay that is worse than oscars so white. Only one nongendered category has never had a woman nominated in all 80+ years: best cinematography is exclusively a boys only club, an unbroken streak of men only year in and year out.

Here's where a push for Creed might have helped, since Ryan Coogler made sure that there was diversity behind the camera too by hiring a female DP, Maryse Alberti who's work is great.

[mfunk9786]

Creed was so great and was not just a 'black' film, I'm really flabbergasted that voters saw fit to recognize Stallone, but not to recognize Jordan or Coogler or even Alberti or Thompson. A lot of great acting and filmmaking going on there that's shoved aside for transparently awards baiting fare like The Danish Girl. It's clear that there's a demographic problem (which mostly has to do with age more than race or even gender) just by looking at the kinds of films that still continue to get recognition simply because they exist.

[zedz]

Here's an academy stay that is worse than oscars so white. Only one nongendered category has never had a woman nominated in all 80+ years: best cinematography is exclusively a boys only club, an unbroken streak of men only year in and year out.

She doesn't exactly make Oscar fare, but Agnes Godard is one of the greatest living cinematographers, and has been for a couple of decades. Ellen Kuras, however, is right on their doorstep, though she tends to work with auteurs (such as Lee and Gondry) who aren't on the Academy radar.

[Brian C]

I would not argue with you on that. Besides, Michael B. Jordan's work in Creed feels too derivative of his better, more nuanced work on Friday Night Lights.

Race aside, it seems odd to call someone's work "derivative" of his own work, while simultaneously agreeing that the guy who really deserves an award nomination is the guy playing the same character for the seventh time.

[swo17]

Just for a little perspective, here are the black actors who have received nominations in the last 10 years, going back to 2006's nominations (I think it's key not to use the term African-American here, as not all people of color are American):

2006: Terrence Howard

2007: Forest Whitaker (Winner), Will Smith, Djimon Hounsou, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson (Winner)

2008: Ruby Dee

2009: Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson

2010: Morgan Freeman, Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique (Winner)

2011: None

2012: Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer (Winner)

2013: Denzel Washington, Quvenzhane Wallis

2014: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Barkhad Abdi, Lupita Nyong’o (Winner)

2015: None

The last ten years of Oscar nominees fit an expected curve pretty well:



Another way of looking at it is that there have been 18 nominations in the past ten years compared to about 13 expected. Even if you look at only the last five years, there have been 7 nominees compared to like 6.6 expected. Yes, the last two years have been dry, but is this a trend or just a statistical eventuality (expected to happen about once every four years, all else being equal)?

[jindianajonz]

Can a member from the UK speak to this topic in regards to the BAFTA awards? Just curious if they have this issue overseas.

Somewhat related, Idris Elba went to Parliament yesterday to advocate for more diversity in British television.

[mfunk9786]

I would not argue with you on that. Besides, Michael B. Jordan's work in Creed feels too derivative of his better, more nuanced work on Friday Night Lights.

Race aside, it seems odd to call someone's work "derivative" of his own work, while simultaneously agreeing that the guy who really deserves an award nomination is the guy playing the same character for the seventh time.

Man, I hope nobody ever finds out about George Clooney