As a white man, I’m guaranteed to turn on the TV or go to a movie and see an approximation of my lived experiences presented on camera.
While it’s easy to argue that they’re good movies, films like “La La Land,” “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Manchester by the Sea” all follow the day to day travails of a predominantly white cast. They’re limited in scope and tell stories that aren’t immediately relatable to many Americans.
This problem isn’t just drawn along racial lines. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California analyzed about 21,000 characters and behind-the-scenes personnel in more than 400 films that were released between September 2014 and August 2015 and found that women accounted for only 33.5 percent of speaking roles (even though they make up about half of the population).
Similarly, about 28.3 percent of characters with speaking roles were from non-white racial or ethnic groups — a group that makes up about 40 percent of the U.S. population.
And the issue isn’t isolated to actors. According to an article by Variety that was published this month, women directed only seven percent of the 250 highest grossing films in 2016, a two percent drop from the year prior.
Where do the Oscars fit into this?
Winning an Oscar gives a film a second chance at box office success.
For example, before “The King’s Speech” was nominated for an Oscar in 2011, prognosticators predicted that the movie would make a measly $30 million worldwide. After winning Best Picture, the movie’s worldwide box office revenues soared to more than $427 million (an approximately 1,400 percent increase over initial estimates).
That pattern isn’t isolated to “The King’s Speech.” In fact, movie companies see the Academy Awards as a prime opportunity to wring cash out of their more artistic films.
So again, where do the Oscars fit into this? They can start recognizing films that represent lived experiences that are different from that of many Americans, a move that would presumably give those movies greater pull among audiences.
Fortunately, this year has been one of the most diverse yet.
After two dismal years of #OscarsSoWhite controversy, seven of the 20 nominees in the four major acting categories are racial minorities. People of color also dominated the Best Documentary Feature category, clinching nominations for “13th,” “I Am Not Your Negro,” “O.J.: Made in America” and “Life, Animated.”
The films nominated this year also cover an almost unprecedented range of subject matter. One of the nominees for Best Picture, “Moonlight,” is an LGBTQ film that chronicles the life of a young black man as he comes to terms with his sexuality and his relationship with his family. The film recently got a wide release in early November.
Although the subject matter probably sounds depressing, the film tells a story that isn’t typically heard in middle America, and for many people in this area, it is probably more deserving of their attention than “La La Land,” which is currently the Oscar frontrunner with 14 nominations.
Many cynical film critics have concluded that the Oscars are a pointless and inaccurate attempt to rank the best movies of the year, but I’d argue that it’s important for one reason: It gives underrepresented filmmakers a chance to have their movies seen by a larger audience. That’s enough for me.
2017 Oscar Nominees
Best Picture
- Arrival
- Fences
- Hacksaw Ridge
- Hell or High Water
- Hidden Figures
- La La Land
- Lion
- Manchester by the Sea
- Moonlight
Actor in a Leading Role
- Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
- Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
- Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
- Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
- Denzel Washington, “Fences”
Actor in a Supporting Role
- Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
- Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
- Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
- Dev Patel, “Lion”
- Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”
Actress in a Leading Role
- Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
- Ruth Negga, “Loving”
- Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
- Emma Stone, “La La Land”
- Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Actress in a Supporting Role
- Viola Davis, “Fences”
- Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
- Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
- Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
- Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
Animated Feature Film
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Moana
- My Life as a Zucchini
- The Red Turtle
- Zootopia
Cinematography
- Arrival
- La La Land
- Lion
- Moonlight
- Silence
Costume Design
- Allied
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Florence Foster Jenkins
- Jackie
- La La Land
Directing
- Arrival
- Hacksaw Ridge
- La La Land
- Manchester by the Sea
- Moonlight
Documentary Feature
- Fire at Sea
- I Am Not Your Negro
- Life, Animated
- O.J.: Made in America
- 13th
Documentary (Short Subject)
- Extremis
- 4.1 Miles
- Joe’s Violin
- Watani: My Homeland
- The White Helmets
Film Editing
- Arrival
- Hacksaw Ridge
- Hell or High Water
- La La Land
- Moonlight
Foreign Language Film
- Land of Mine
- A Man Called Ove
- The Salesman
- Tanna
- Toni Erdmann
Makeup and Hairstyling
- A Man Called Ove
- Star Trek Beyond
- Suicide Squad
Music (Original Score)
- Jackie
- La La Land
- Lion
- Moonlight
- Passengers
Music (Original Song)
- “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land
- “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” Trolls
- “City Of Stars,” La La Land
- “The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story
- “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
Production Design
- Arrival
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Hail, Caesar!
- La La Land
- Passengers
Animated Short Film
- Blind Vaysha
- Borrowed Time
- Pear Cider and Cigarettes
- Pearl
- Piper
Live Action Short Film
- Ennemis Intérieurs
- La Femme et le TGV
- Silent Nights
- Sing
- Timecode
Sound Editing
- Arrival
- Deepwater Horizon
- Hacksaw Ridge
- La La Land
- Sully
Sound Mixing
- Arrival
- Hacksaw Ridge
- La La Land
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Visual Effects
- Deepwater Horizon
- Doctor Strange
- The Jungle Book
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
- Arrival
- Fences
- Hidden Figures
- Lion
- Moonlight
Writing (Original Screenplay)
- Hell or High Water
- La La Land
- The Lobster
- Manchester by the Sea
- 20th Century Women
