"Oscar nominations fail to recognize people of color," in GMU's Fourth Estate

by Basma Humadi

This year marks the 88th Academy Awards ceremony, better known as the Oscars, which will be hosted by Chris Rock on February 28 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

Each year the Academy Award nominations are dedicated to highlighting the best of cinema and to honoring the impact movies make on our hearts. Through snubs and scene-stealers, the Oscars — and the weeks leading up to them — are here to remind us of the progress we’ve made and of the potential we have to do better.

“If a movie is really working, you forget for two hours your social security number and where your car is parked. You are having a vicarious experience. You are identifying, in one way or another, with the people on the screen,” Roger Ebert, a late esteemed movie critic, once said.

“The Revenant,” directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, leads the nominations, with 12 to its name. “Mad Max,” the dystopian thriller is up next with 10 nominations. “The Martian” and “Spotlight” are also racking up nominations, with seven and six, respectively.

However, this year also marks another year of snubs, or lack of nominations, for some, as this is the second year none of the 20 actors nominated is a person of color. Cynthia J. Fuchs, the director of the film and media studies department at Mason, agrees that the Academy overlooked some deserving actors and films.

“I am struck by the nominees’ predictability,” Fuchs said. “This in itself is predictable. The industry and especially the awards season work by multiple means, including networking, campaigning, and rule-making that tends to support a status quo. This doesn’t allow much for recognition of innovation or for looking beyond the most obvious horizons.”

 

Read the rest of Basma Humadi's article at Fourth Estate.