The Academy’s diversity problem: an Oscars retrospective
The Academy’s diversity problem: an Oscars retrospective
Though there were more first-time nominees than ever, the core of the Academy Awards system remains outdated.
Just over a week ago, film enthusiasts gathered for Hollywood's version of the Super Bowl. The Oscars are a time-honored tradition. After all, anything that runs for over three hours on prime-time national television is time-honored in its own way.
Academy Award season is exciting for many, nerve-racking for some, and a snoozefest for most. That isn’t to say prestigious award shows are insignificant or uninfluential. Programs like the Baftas, Golden Globes, and Oscars exist to recognize and award the best of the (primarily western) movie industry.
This year, with 16 first-time nominees and only four veteran nominees, you would think the Academy outdid itself with diversity. 2023 may have lacked the dramatic Will Smith/ Chris Rock altercation, but the show was certainly not smooth sailing: when it came to fair representation of their nominees, the Academy made a poor showing.
A quarter of the technical categories didn’t contain a single female nominee. Fourteen of the nineteen Oscar recipients in categories not already divided by gender were men. Only five African-Americans were nominated and just one of them received an award. The Oscars’ lack of diversity is systemic: four out of five Academy voters are white, according to the LA Times.
Clearly, award shows have work to do, but this year’s results also reflect some progress. Michelle Yeoh was the first Asian woman to be nominated as an actress in a leading role. Yeoh went on to win her category, and her movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once, led the 2023 Oscars in both nominations and awards.
Only two other films, The Whale and All Quiet on the Western Front, won multiple Oscars. The remaining ten Oscars went respectively to ten different films.
Of interest to the Bethel community, the Mennonite story Women Talking won best adapted screenplay and was nominated for best picture.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever won best costume design and Angela Bassett became the first Marvel actor or actress to be nominated in an acting category.
RRR’s win for best original song, “Naatu Naatu,” was considered a major step toward the international recognition of Indian cinema.
The Oscars aren’t for everyone, just like some only watch the Super Bowl for the creative advertisements. Perhaps the Academy is actively taking steps to improve the show’s diversity and representation. However, it is more likely that breakthrough winners like Michelle Yeoh will remain rare exceptions to the rules. Either way, film enthusiasts will continue to celebrate these victories while recognizing the Oscars’ shortcomings.