african american oscars triumph masking real diversity woes
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

To get a grip on its diversity problem

African American Oscars triumph masking real diversity woes

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice African American Oscars triumph masking real diversity woes

After the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag caught on in 2016 Barry Jenkins's best picture "Moonlight"
Los Angeles - ArabToday

The triumph of black artists at the Oscars was seen as a signal that predominantly white Hollywood was making a serious effort to get a grip on its diversity problem.

Yet scratch the surface and it is apparent that the battle has barely begun in an industry where Asians, Latinos and other minorities, not to mention women, remain sorely underrepresented on set -- and in studio boardrooms.

After the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag caught on in 2016 -- the second straight year when no ethnic minority actors were nominated -- Barry Jenkins's coming-of-age best picture "Moonlight" struck a chord last Sunday as a moving look at contemporary African-American life.

There were six nods for black actors overall, as well as three documentary nominees telling African-American stories -- including Ezra Edelman's winning "O.J.: Made in America" -- and a screenplay win for Jenkins and his writing partner Tarell McCraney. 

But critics have pointed out that race is not simply a black-and-white issue.

Under growing pressure, the Academy has embarked on reforms in recent years to diversify the mix of its members, who may have become "more aware" of bias, according to Darnell Hunt, the professor in charge of UCLA's annual Hollywood Diversity Report.

"But that's not necessarily a sign that the industry has changed, or that there's more diversity in the films being made. Studios are still (managed) by white men," he told AFP. 

- Exclusion -

Minorities represent 40 percent of the US population but only 13.6 percent of actors and 10 percent of filmmakers. The latest edition of the study, published last month, notes that "despite the Academy Award nominations, the exclusion of people of color and women from Hollywood remains a concern."

There was just one non-white, non-black acting nomination last Sunday -- for British-Indian Dev Patel -- while Syrian documentary shorts "The White Helmets" and "Watani: My Homeland" and Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's "The Salesman" were left to represent the entirety of Middle Eastern filmmaking.

It's not just an Oscars issue: Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans are the most woefully under-represented across the industry, while Middle Eastern actors find themselves typecast as terrorists.

Discrimination against women is arguably a larger issue, with only 29 percent of lead roles being female and, worse still, just 7.7 percent of productions directed by women according to the UCLA report, which analyzed movies and TV released in 2015. 

If you have a bunch of white man deciding what gets made, contends Hunt, they will inevitably green-light projects in their wheelhouse -- action, sci-fi and superhero movies populated and made by people who look like them.At the root of the problem, say campaigners, is the overwhelming homogeneity in boardrooms and also in Hollywood's many casting agencies, which place the talent. 

The doom and gloom is in part mitigated, however, by baby steps towards a more inclusive future.

- Last resort -

Ryan Coogler, the 30-year-old rising African American star who directed "Creed," is currently shooting "Black Panther," a Marvel tentpole centered on a black superhero.

Skeptics point out that white, male studio bosses are hardly clamoring to fall on their swords in the name of diversity.Meanwhile Ava DuVernay, acclaimed for the feature "Selma" and Oscar nominated for the documentary "13th," has become the first African-American to make a film with a budget of more than $100 million with the upcoming fantasy adventure "A Wrinkle in Time."

But Sundance Institute director Keri Putnam says the solution lies not in executives vacating their seats, but in "inviting more people around the table."

Josh Welsh, who heads Film Independent, the organizer of the annual Spirit Awards honoring indie filmmaking, believes that regulation may be the only long-term answer. 

Illinois and several other US states, for example, design their tax rebates system to award diversity, he points out. 

Online entertainment magazine Deadline recently reported that the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was in settlement talks with the major studios to resolve charges that they systemically discriminated against female directors. 

The EEOC doesn't comment on its investigations, and charges are made public only in the "last resort" instances where lawsuits are launched.

Putnam notes meanwhile that executives are beginning to see inclusivity as a "business imperative" since films with diverse casts enjoy the highest global box office receipts and the highest return on investment.

source: AFP

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

african american oscars triumph masking real diversity woes african american oscars triumph masking real diversity woes

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

african american oscars triumph masking real diversity woes african american oscars triumph masking real diversity woes

 



GMT 09:54 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

'Friendly and kind' N. Korean skaters

GMT 07:16 2018 Thursday ,18 January

Macron's tapestry gesture risks rousing

GMT 23:45 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe in the pink of health, feels Bjorn

GMT 16:03 2017 Friday ,05 May

Ban on Omani foods

GMT 03:07 2017 Saturday ,30 September

Facebook helps UAE resident reunite with brother

GMT 00:05 2017 Wednesday ,15 November

Deadly heat from climate change may hit slums hardest

GMT 10:18 2016 Thursday ,27 October

Sharjah Book Fair’s Professional Programme attracts

GMT 13:56 2012 Sunday ,21 October

King Mohammed VI Gulf tour

GMT 19:28 2017 Sunday ,12 March

Carlos the Jackal faces trial again in France

GMT 05:55 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

US tax reforms send UBS profits plunging

GMT 06:01 2018 Saturday ,20 January

How to take a bullet, by 'Den of Thieves' star 50 Cent

GMT 23:50 2018 Thursday ,18 January

1.5 C climate goal 'very unlikely' but doable

GMT 08:42 2018 Wednesday ,17 January

Was preparing new version of 'Zombie'

GMT 13:06 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The London Fashion Agency relaunches as LFA

GMT 14:17 2017 Friday ,03 February

Facing Trump trade threats, Mexico eyes new partners

GMT 10:33 2017 Thursday ,28 December

Putin files nomination for 2018 re-election bid

GMT 08:01 2017 Tuesday ,21 November

China's Tencent overtakes Facebook

GMT 10:15 2017 Tuesday ,21 November

US-Saudi warplanes hit Sanaa

GMT 07:42 2010 Wednesday ,15 September

Global regulators agree on tougher Basel III bank rules
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice