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[kswiston]

I figured this could have it's own thread since the lack of diversity dominated the Oscars related news last year:

Oscars: Record Six Black Actors Nominated, Diversity Improves After Controversy

After last year’s nominations spawned #OscarsSoWhite, all eyes were on the Academy Award nominations this morning – and in stark contrast to 2016, this year proved to be a much stronger year for diversity, both in front of and behind the camera.

While no actors of color were nominated the last two years, this year saw every acting category recognizing a person of color. A record-tying (with 2007) seven minority actors were recognized, including a record-setting six black actors.

In best actor, Denzel Washington landed his seventh nomination for “Fences,” extending his record as the most nominated black actor. His co-star Viola Davis was nominated in supporting actress, which also saw Davis’ “The Help” co-star Octavia Spencer nominated for “Hidden Figures” and Naomie Harris for “Moonlight.” With three nods, Davis is now the most nominated black actress.

In the lead actress category, Ruth Negga was nominated for her work in “Loving.” And in supporting actor, Mahershala Ali landed a nom for “Moonlight.” Also recognized in supporting actor was Dev Patel, a British actor of Indian descent, for “Lion.”

However, these films were already in production last year, so they weren’t made in response to last year’s controversy.

You can read the rest here

http://variety.com/2017/film/box-of...ngton-viola-davis-octavia-spencer-1201968125/


I think that the last sentence bolded above is important to remember. This year's slate of nominees was more diverse, but the major issue is the lack of quality roles in Hollywood films for minority actors.

 

[Platy]

Improves, but the lack of diversity is STILL a problem.

The non acting categories are still almost all white.

Editing has the first black woman (and second overall black person).
And no woman has ever been nominated for cinematography

 

[El Topo]

It's great they're making some strides. Then again, who knows how long this will last?

 

[thecouncil]

sure. this is the 'year after' effect.

let's see how next year goes.

 

[SpaceWolf]

And no woman has ever been nominated for cinematography

Are there any specific female cinematographers you feel deserve to have their work recognized? Not challenging you, I'm just not aware of many female cinematographers working in film today, so I'd be really interested to hear some examples.

 

[Principate]

I like how diversity is literally just black people. The second you bring some in, "time to pat yourselves on the back".

 

[Platy]

Are there any specific female cinematographers you feel deserve to have their work recognized? Not challenging you, I'm just not aware of many female cinematographers working in film today, so I'd be really interested to hear some examples.

From the top of my head fast imdb run to refresh my memory, Maryse Alberti (Creed) and Natasha Braier (Neon Demon) are two recent ones that I really liked.

But there are lots of "hey, here are some awesome female cynematographers" articles around if you google it.

 

[FortuneFaded]

Are there any specific female cinematographers you feel deserve to have their work recognized? Not challenging you, I'm just not aware of many female cinematographers working in film today, so I'd be really interested to hear some examples.

I was curious myself so I looked it up

Maryse Alberti (Creed, The Visit, Collateral Beauty): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryse_Alberti
Natasha Braier (Neon Demon): http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1161987/
Charlotte Bruus Christensen (The Hunt, Fences, The Girl On The Train):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bruus_Christensen
Amy Vincent (Black Snake Moan, Hustle & Flow): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Vincent
Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Kuras
Rachel Morrison (Fruitvale Station, Cake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Morrison
Mandy Walker (Australia, Hidden Figures): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandy_Walker

 

[SlimySnake]

Hollywood needs to hire more black actors but man last year's controversy was bullshit. Oscars have been pretty decent about rewarding black actors since Danzel and Halle Barry won oscars all those years ago. I'd argue that they didnt get great parts last year. Will Smith tried his best but it was a pretty silly performance judging by the trailers.

The fact that just a couple of years ago a slave movie won best picture oscar made it even harder for me to criticize the academy. Go ahead and criticize hollywood execs for not hiring black actors, but again they had been pretty decent about hiring black actors in lead roles that year. See Creed and Star Wars.

I dont know. I am glad to see so many black actors get nominated this year, but again it's because they were so damn good this year. We should not just nominate people for best performance just because they are black. Actors with best performance should get nominated.

 

[maquiladora]

Another very small step in the right direction. A long, long way to go...

 

[SpaceWolf]

From the top of my head fast imdb run to refresh my memory, Maryse Alberti (Creed) and Natasha Braier (Neon Demon) are two recent ones that I really liked.

But there are lots of "hey, here are some awesome female cynematographers" articles around if you google it.

I was curious myself so I looked it up

Maryse Alberti (Creed, The Visit, Collateral Beauty): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryse_Alberti
Natasha Braier (Neon Demon): http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1161987/
Charlotte Bruus Christensen (The Hunt, Fences, The Girl On The Train):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bruus_Christensen
Amy Vincent (Black Snake Moan, Hustle & Flow): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Vincent
Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Kuras
Rachel Morrison (Fruitvale Station, Cake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Morrison
Mandy Walker (Australia, Hidden Figures): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandy_Walker

Oh wow, really interesting. Some beautifully shot movies there. Thanks, guys!

 

[hiredhand]

sure. this is the 'year after' effect.

let's see how next year goes.

This.

I'm sure the whole #oscarssowhite thing had a huge impact on both Oscar campaigning and voting behaviour. I doubt films like Moonlight and Hidden Figures would have gotten the quite the push they got some other year.

The true test is really the next year and the year after that.

 

[Cesare Borgia]

Not surprising given actually good films that were diverse came out this year (with studio/money backing), not just the typical lazy "movie about slavery/civil rights" fare. But obviously more diversity still is needed. This is an issue that revolves around the types of films that are greenlit, and the types of films that are written. We need more films like Moonlight and Fences, basically. And for that to happen you need producers and studios to be more interested in pursuing them, purchasing them, financing them, etc.

 

[MarveI]

Hope this is a genuine attempt to address the issue and not a deliberate move to suppress a wound for their personal gain.

 

[DrunkShogun]

It's good to see this but it's not improved diversity if it's only black actors receiving better treatment. At least there's Dev Patel whose always playing a character whose story is based on the fact he's from India.

 

[Oersted]

sure. this is the 'year after' effect.

let's see how next year goes.

This.

I'm sure the whole #oscarssowhite thing had a huge impact on both Oscar campaigning and voting behaviour. I doubt films like Moonlight and Hidden Figures would have gotten the quite the push they got some other year.

The true test is really the next year and the year after that.

However, these films were already in production last year, so they weren’t made in response to last year’s controversy.

Reading is not that hard.

 

[Pastry]

Obviously an improvement but as a Hispanic all I can do is shake my head at how far there still is to go.

 

[FortuneFaded]

Reading is not that hard.

He didn't contradict. He was talking about the exposure in the media.

 

[airmangataosenai]

Yet another example of "Diversity" in entertainment meaning black people, as Latinos and Asians get the shaft same as always. It is a big reason why it rang so hollow when people protested last year and celebrate this.

 

[jtb]

Yet another example of "Diversity" in entertainment meaning black people, as Latinos and Asians get the shaft same as always. It is a big reason why it rang so hollow when people protested last year and celebrate this.

eh, solidarity. one door leads to another. this is certainly an improvement over nothing.

 

[Megalosaro]

You can tell me about diversity when we have asian and hispanic nominees

 

[NewDust]

sure. this is the 'year after' effect.

let's see how next year goes.

If you want to dismiss their nominations just as 'they got them just because they are black' ... sure. But they aren't. Sure we have to see how next year goes, but I severely doubt however this is just a 'year after' effect.

I'd have to say 2016 was an outstanding year for more diverse cinema. I'm just very afraid La La Land is going to sweep up a whole lot of Oscars, it has the perfect 'hypestorm' going on.

We are not there yet regarding representing diversity.

 

[ant_]

I think an honest question that I don't know how to answer: how do we determine when diversity has been sufficiently been reached?

 

[MattKeil]

sure. this is the 'year after' effect.

let's see how next year goes.

Exactly.

 

[RinsFury]

A small step, but it needs to keep increasing year after year with more minorities. I'm not gonna get too excited yet.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

I think an honest question that I don't know how to answer: how do we determine when diversity has been sufficiently been reached?

When you stop thinking about it. Seriously, when it becomes so normalized it's not a discussion to even bring up

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

sure. this is the 'year after' effect.

let's see how next year goes.

and the type of roles black actors are still the same, they are playing their race in most of these Oscar bait roles. Let's see black actors get roles like Ryan Gosling and Casey Affleck, then we can say there is a real improvement

 

[Sliver]

and the type of roles black actors are still the same, they are playing their race in most of these Oscar bait roles. Let's see black actors get roles like Ryan Gosling and Casey Affleck, then we can say there is a real improvement

These goal posts are a-movin

 

[airmangataosenai]

eh, solidarity. one door leads to another. this is certainly an improvement over nothing.

I really dont see this as a thing in media representation. We have had fair distribution in categories like popular music for a while now, but can you think of any prominent Asian singers here? Only one East Asian has ever won an award for acting and that barrier was broken decades ago.

 

[kswiston]

I think an honest question that I don't know how to answer: how do we determine when diversity has been sufficiently been reached?

For the Oscars? When a winner's race and/or gender are not really worth mentioning because it's not novel/atypical.

For Hollywood in general, it's probably more about metrics.

 

[Slayven]

Hollywood finally making diverse movie.

Hidden Figures, Moonlight, and Fences.

Nice folks can do some good acting without it involving being whipped or having hoses turned on you.

 

[Rembrandt]

From the top of my head fast imdb run to refresh my memory, Maryse Alberti (Creed) and Natasha Braier (Neon Demon) are two recent ones that I really liked.

But there are lots of "hey, here are some awesome female cynematographers" articles around if you google it.

Natasha Braier is dope. Neon Demon is a beautiful movie.

I really dont see this as a thing in media representation. We have had fair distribution in categories like popular music for a while now, but can you think of any prominent Asian singers here? Only one East Asian has ever won an award for acting and that barrier was broken decades ago.

Tbh, I can't think of any prominent Asian singers anywhere if they're not in SNSD.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

These goal posts are a-movin

It's called accepting reality, black actors aren't given roles of white actors unless you're Denzel or Will Smith

 

[LionPride]

Hollywood finally making diverse movie.

Hidden Figures, Moonlight, and Fences.

Nice folks can do some good acting without it involving being whipped or having hoses turned on you.

No no, it has to all be slave or civil rights oriented

 

[Skellig Gra]

Hope this is a genuine attempt to address the issue and not a deliberate move to suppress a wound for their personal gain.

Me too but this is the Academy we are talking about here.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Hollywood needs to hire more black actors but man last year's controversy was bullshit. Oscars have been pretty decent about rewarding black actors since Danzel and Halle Barry won oscars all those years ago. I'd argue that they didnt get great parts last year. Will Smith tried his best but it was a pretty silly performance judging by the trailers.

The fact that just a couple of years ago a slave movie won best picture oscar made it even harder for me to criticize the academy. Go ahead and criticize hollywood execs for not hiring black actors, but again they had been pretty decent about hiring black actors in lead roles that year. See Creed and Star Wars.

I dont know. I am glad to see so many black actors get nominated this year, but again it's because they were so damn good this year. We should not just nominate people for best performance just because they are black. Actors with best performance should get nominated.

If your beef is that #OscarsSoWhite should be #OscarsReflectThatTheIndustrySoWhiteAndThatIsABadThingSoWeChangeIt then sure, except the hashtag is a bit long and I'd recommend we shorten it to #OscarsSoWhite. This kinda strikes me as a pretty pedantic response to the name of the hashtag rather than the content of the argument, which always included both a request to recognize outstanding work by non-whites and to give them a shot to prove they can make outstanding work. The Oscars was just the nexus of the protest because it's such an obvious and easy way to explain that something is amiss.

Note that the recruitment/job problem also stems from socioeconomic issues--LA is expensive to live in and it's very expensive to be a starving actor, where you have to have a job that allows you flexible time off to go work your unpaid second job while still paying you enough to make rent; the production side often relies on unpaid internships and low-pay PA work to get up the ranks, so it's the case that middle class and above families can much more easily give their kids a shot at acting, to say nothing of costs for your first agent or updated headshots or acting classes or... You go to an Upright Citizens Brigade and largely you see middle class looking or above folks leaving the classes. But any socioeconomic issue is also going to intersect with race because of the racial dynamics of poverty in the US.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

I don't see anything changing until we see more black producers, people who really call the shots. Then we will see an uptick in black directors and writers also

 

[UnemployedVillain]

While as a black dude I love the fact we're seeing more black actors in prominent roles in films that aren't always slave movies, I can't help, but feel for other minorities. It was in a thread way back when I said Hollywood seems to have a very obvious hierarchy when it comes to non-white male inclusion. It goes white woman > black male > black women >>>>>>> everyone else

 

[Infinite]

While as a black dude I love the fact we're seeing more black actors in prominent roles in films that aren't always slave movies, I can't help, but feel for other minorities. It was in a thread way back when I said Hollywood seems to have a very obvious hierarchy when it comes to non-white male inclusion. It goes white woman > black male > black women >>>>>>> everyone else

Yeah. While this is progress it's pretty minuscule. No one should be patting themselves on the back about this instead continued pressure should be applied to Hollywood and the Academy.

 

[lightskintwin]

I've said this before but the biggest problem is Latinos/Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans are way behind in entertainment and impacting American pop culture than African Americans, who have consistently been doing it for over a century. Hoping Hollywood is going to change is going to bring about change slow. This change needs to happen on every level from music, musicals, books, comics and graphic novels, plays, comedy, tv shows, independent films, etc...

Optimistically, I'm slowly starting to see this happen. However, there needs to be a movement to accelerate this, otherwise, it's going to move at a snail's pace.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

Well, it's progress.

 

[Volimar]

Oh wow, really interesting. Some beautifully shot movies there. Thanks, guys!

You should also look into how many women are in editing.

 

[kirblar]

I've said this before but the biggest problem is Latinos/Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans are way behind in entertainment and impacting American pop culture than African Americans, who have consistently been doing it for over a century. Hoping Hollywood is going to change is going to bring about change slow. This change needs to happen on every level from music, musicals, books, comics and graphic novels, plays, comedy, tv shows, independent films, etc...

Optimistically, I'm slowly starting to see this happen. However, there needs to be a movement to accelerate this, otherwise, it's going to move at a snail's pace.

The fundamental difference is that there are non-American alternatives for Asian/Hispanic populations. That isn't the case for the AA community. Hence, the extra pressure.

 

[LotusHD]

While as a black dude I love the fact we're seeing more black actors in prominent roles in films that aren't always slave movies, I can't help, but feel for other minorities. It was in a thread way back when I said Hollywood seems to have a very obvious hierarchy when it comes to non-white male inclusion. It goes white woman > black male > black women >>>>>>> everyone else

This is more or less true. I bet there are people out there that probably think that if we get a couple of black people in more stuff, then everything will be peachy. But nah, we still have a lot of work to do..

 

[Infinite]

The fundamental difference is that there are non-American alternatives for Asian/Hispanic populations. That isn't the case for the AA community. Hence, the extra pressure.

That's not true at all.

 

[WaffleTaco]

I've said this before but the biggest problem is Latinos/Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans are way behind in entertainment and impacting American pop culture than African Americans, who have consistently been doing it for over a century. Hoping Hollywood is going to change is going to bring about change slow. This change needs to happen on every level from music, musicals, books, comics and graphic novels, plays, comedy, tv shows, independent films, etc...

Optimistically, I'm slowly starting to see this happen. However, there needs to be a movement to accelerate this, otherwise, it's going to move at a snail's pace.

It's just going to get better I think, especially in 30-40 years when the millennials take over. Latinos/Hispanic should have way more representation considering they are 15% of the population.

 

[Prototype Viktor]

These goal posts are a-movin

Got to listen to him he's The Boss

Spoiler

I had to check the white encyclopedia for this reference

 

[Dabanton]

sure. this is the 'year after' effect.

let's see how next year goes.

Pretty much in the wise words of Winston Wolfe

let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet

It's an improvement but after the hullabaloo last year Hollywood was on notice. It needed to at least show it was making some improvements.

 

[lightskintwin]

It's just going to get better I think, especially in 30-40 years when the millennials take over. Latinos/Hispanic should have way more representation considering they are 15% of the population.

It doesn't matter if they're not impacting pop culture.

 

[Zhengi]

Good for Black actors. Now what about Hispanic, Asian, and other minority actors?