Academy Awards Pros And Cons

695 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Racial Discrimination in the Movies

THE BIGGEST AWARDS SEASON SNUB: DIVERSITY by Julia D’Silva
More than a year after #OscarsSoWhite first started trending on Twitter, it seemed as though progress had been made at the Academy Awards: People of colour were nominated in all of the acting categories, including three black women in the Best Supporting Actress category. Acting legends like Denzel Washington were honoured alongside newcomers such as Ruth Negga, and Viola Davis’ nomination for Fences made her the most nominated black woman in Oscars history. In the Best Supporting Actor category, another victory was won with Dev Patel’s nomination for Lion. This made Patel the third Indian actor ever to be nominated for an Academy Award, the thirteenth Asian actor to receive a nomination, …show more content…

As far back as 1973 people lamented the mistreatment of Native Americans in Hollywood, with Marlon Brando’s refusal to accept his award for his work in The Godfather due to the entertainment industry’s treatment of Native Americans shedding light on an issue that was, and still is, largely ignored. In the history of the Academy Awards, only two Native actors have been nominated, with the most recent nomination being Graham Greene’s nod for The Green Mile in 1999, and Buffy St. Marie is the only Native American to ever have won an Oscar, for Best Original Song in 1983. The Academy’s lack of recognition of Native actors and filmmakers is astonishing, but not surprising when you consider the Academy’s aversion to diverse nominations of any …show more content…

Instead, it should serve as a reminder that there is still work left to do. The fight for diversity in Hollywood did not end with Moonlight’s triumph over La La Land. Regardless of race, everyone must unite to ensure that people of colour in the entertainment industry receive the recognition they deserve. Above all else, we must not allow ourselves to become complacent after one year of ‘diverse’ Oscar nominations. After 89 Academy Awards, the appreciation is more than a little

Show More
Related

  • Reel Injun: The Distortion Of Native American Life

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    The film, “Reel Injun” reveals a distortion of the way Hollywood sees Native American life through comedy and the real way Native Americans live which changes according to the current times. Dozens of films recreate the way Americans believe Natives live as savages and wear costumes decorated with feathers, but Hollywood does not show the true spiritual side and the meaning of why they live the way they do. US history negatively affect Native American live which lead to the image of Natives to be clouded by imagination through film, changed the way Natives viewed themselves and expect to live, and misshaped the view we have about Natives.

    Read More

  • What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lliu, K., and H. Zhang. "Self- and Counter-Representations of Native Americans: Stereotypical Images of and New Images by Native Americans in Popular Media." Ebscohost. University of Arkansas, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014

    Read More

  • Stereotypes of Native Americans in Modern Films

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many stereotypes about Native Americans which are promoted in today's films. Since the beginnings of the westward settlement people have been saying things about the Native Americans that are not necessarily true. They were depicted as savages and thieves. Like all peoples this is true about some, but not for all. In fact, it was the Native Americans which helped the pilgrims settle in this country in the first place. This never stopped whites from stereotyping the way we have. Early films and TV shows gave Native Americans a bad image. Old western films are a good example of this. In these the cowboys were always the good guys and the Native Americans were the bad guys. More recent films and TV shows give a different picture of the Native American. Since the start of television the Americans view of the culture of the Native American has slowly changed from being a ruthless savage to an honored race of people.

    Read More

  • Spike Lee Film Analysis

    1948 Words  | 4 Pages

    African American representation in the film industry has always been a topic for discussion. Whether talking about character types and roles, the actors being cast or not cast, and the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. ‘The contemporary status of race in mainstream American culture is intimately bound to the process of representation within and through the mass media.’ (Rocchio, 2000, p. 4). Any role that was to be played by an African American kept in with the dominant stereotypes of the time of production; incompetent, child like, hyper-sexualised or criminal.

    Read More

  • Representations of Native Americans in Dances with Wolves and The Searchers

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a result, both films represent Natives Americans under the point of view of non-Native directors. Despite the fact that they made use of the fabricated stereotypes in their illustrations of the indigenous people, their portrayal was revolutionary in its own times. Each of the films add in their own way a new approach to the representation of indigenous people, their stories unfold partly unlike. These differences make one look at the indigenous not only as one dimensional beings but as multifaceted beings, as Dunbar say, “they are just like us.” This is finally a sense of fairness and respect by the non-native populations to the Native Indians.

    Read More

  • Native American Stereotypes in the Media

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    Native Americans have been living on American soil for quite a while now. They were here before the European colonists. They have been here and still continue to be present in the United States. However, the way the media represents Native Americans disallows the truth about Native Americans to be told. Only misinterpretations of Native Americans seem to prosper in the media. It appears the caricature of Native Americans remains the same as first seen from the first settler’s eyes: savage-like people. Their culture and identity has become marginalized by popular culture. This is most evident in mainstream media. There exists a dearth of Native American presence in the mainstream media. There is a lack of Native American characters in different media mediums. When they are represented, they are misrepresented. They are easily one of the most underrepresented cultures and people in American media. Native Americans shouldn’t be confined to a stereotype, should have a greater presence in the media, and shouldn’t be misrepresented when they are presented.

    Read More

  • Jezebel Stereotypes

    2557 Words  | 6 Pages

    When she won that award she said: “In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields, and lovely flowers, and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can 't seem to get there no how. I can 't seem to get over that line. And let me tell you something. The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there”. As opportunities are the start points for anything exposure to occur, there needs to be more complexed, less sexualized, and versatile roles for African American women are not taking on roles that negatively depict who they

    Read More

  • Reel Injun Film Analysis

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    Neil Diamond reveals the truth behind the Native stereotypes and the effects it left on the Natives. He begins by showing how Hollywood generalizes the Natives from the clothing they wore, like feathers

    Read More

  • White Chicks: Film Analysis

    1681 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ent from the silent era of film, overt racism of ethnic minorities was blatantly apparent within the film medium. However, presently this overt racism however has shifted into a more subtle segregation of casting and racial politics within the film medium. It seems that both the problem and the solution lies in the Eurocentric domination within the Hollywood film industry – and it seems that it still remains challenged to this day.

    Read More

  • African American Theater

    1967 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...g place for a long time now; blacks have went from not being banned from certain stages to dominating theater with actors and actresses such as Halle Berry and Denzel Washington. In modern day film, African-Americans have prevailed over all of the negative setbacks, and as the old Negro spiritual says, "We shall continue to overcome."

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Benjamin Demott's 'Put On A Happy Face'

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    Often racial injustice goes unnoticed. Television tries to influence the mind of their viewers that blacks and whites get along by putting them on the screen to act as if interracial relationships has been accepted or existent. “At the movies these days, questions about racial injustice have been amicably resolved (Harper,1995). Demott stresses that the entertainment industry put forth much effort to persuade their audience that African Americans and Caucasians are interacting and forming friendships with one another that is ideal enough for them to die for one another. In the text, Demott states “A moment later he charges the black with being a racist--with not liking whites as much as the white man likes blacks--and the two talk frankly about their racial prejudices. Near the end of the film, the men have grown so close that each volunteer to die for the other” (Harper,1995). Film after film exposes a deeper connection amongst different races. In the text, Demott states “Day after day the nation 's corporate ministries of culture churn out images of racial harmony” (Harper, 1995). Time and time again movies and television shows bring forth characters to prove to the world that racial injustice has passed on and justice is now received. Though on-screen moments are noticed by many people in the world it does not mean that a writer/ director has done their

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Film Reel Injun

    1592 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Film Reel Injun introduced the world showing films that’s current and numerous clips of classics. This shows the action of distorting which means misleading the impression of Native people from the silent film era of today. Over time, Hollywood shaped the whole image of Native American people. Some people that were highly performed educated on films had personal interviews. This is what made Reel Injun unique. We witnessed Native and Non-Native Americans perspectives. The filmmaker a Cree, Neil Diamond revealed a great way of showing the portrayal of Native Americans in such a way that it distorted the US history and affected the Native Americans. He grew up in an isolated

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Movie ' War Room '

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    Those who deny the existence of the racism rooted into modern day Hollywood are far from reality. They may think that in the United States we are getting closer to equality when it comes to casting but we in fact are not. While there is the belief that America has progressed when it comes to social issues, the percentage of roles held by black actors in film and TV has dropped from 15 to 13 percent from the early 2000’s to 2011 (McClintock and Apello 2).

    Read More

  • Are Oscars Subjective But Right?

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    Spike Lee in his emotional response acknowledged the president, producer and the host of the ceremony and don't see a diversity problem but he questioned the event that happened again after more than 25 years. Such unusual circumstances we all can described as once in a blue moon. And accusing the Academy in something that this big but prefer not to mention diversity that already exist in the community it's simply pushing the envelope of your opinion over the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences community. 12 years of Slave 3 years ago score 12 nominations and won 3 of them. This year, Alejandro G. Iñárritu last year Oscar winner for best director nominated

    Read More

  • Black Panther Reflection

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Letitia Wright, an actor in Black Panther, said, “I'm excited for what Black Panther is about to do, not just for young black boys and girls, but for everyone. There's a black superhero, but then we're going to have more Asian superheroes and more from India. The solution to the problem is: We don't have enough of this, so we're going to make more. I'm excited!” With the success of this movie, other minority led films will actually be taken seriously and watched. This movie also disproves the myth that movies led by African-Americans do not sell well, as it had a $242 million dollar domestic four-day opening, according to CNN. With the success of Black Panther, it will lead to more opportunities for minorities to star in big blockbusters. Marissa Tinsley, a long-time Marvel fan and student at this school, states that this movie is important for minorities all around the world, not just right now but for future generations. “It also makes me think that perhaps maybe more POC will have the opportunities to not only star in films, but also take the lead in their everyday life, inspire future generations, and just be who they are. Living their lives and stories and knowing that they're universal and

    Read More

More about Academy Awards Pros And Cons

Open Document