In a year with several brilliant performances by non-white actors-in films like Beasts of No Nation, Creed, and Straight Outta Compton-every single Oscar acting nomination went to a white person. Last year’s all-white slate of acting nominations felt like a setback, as did the fact that Selma’s Ava DuVernay was snubbed in the category of best director despite her film’s 99 percent fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating, $66.8 million haul at the box office, and best picture nomination.
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April S. Reign created the hashtag last year, and she noted it’s worse this year.
“Straight Outta Compton”, about the rise of hip-hop group N.W.A., appears to be the biggest shock for lack of a best picture nomination, especially as it collects accolades from across the industry.
“There can’t be many nominees until people are given the opportunity in prominent, meaningful roles”, Boyd said. “Rather than saying who votes – I don’t want to know who voted and how they voted – I’d just like to see the numbers”, he says.
A look back at the 11 accomplished actors who have been nominated for an Oscar twice in one year.
The Academy Awards will be hosted by Chris Rock and air live on ABC on February 28.
Sylvester Stallone, enjoying a new wave of popularity, scored a supporting actor nod for reprising his career-defining role as boxer Rocky Balboa in “Creed”. Will Smith came up empty-handed for his highly publicized NFL Drama “Concussion”, and Idris Elba was denied a nod for “Beasts of No Nation”.
Of the lack of minorities in prominent categories, she said, “We have got to speed it up”.
“The Revenant”, about a fur trapper mauled by a bear and left for dead by his companions, brought nominations for DiCaprio, who has never won an Oscar, and supporting actor for Tom Hardy.
“To my #OscarsSoWhite folks who are angry at the absurd lack of diversity highlighted yet again by this year’s Oscar noms”.
Last year, the Academy was criticised for overlooking BAME actors, directors and producers.
At the time she made a speech which went viral.
The past year in and of itself wasn’t exactly a great year for diversity anyway.
Jackson: At the end of the day, if it’s really about your contributions to film, then I personally feel that the No. 1 biopic of all time (“Straight Outta Compton”) or at least the No. 1-selling black director of all time (the film’s director F. Gary Gray) would get some sort of acknowledgment.
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“People “mad” that no black actors were nominated for Oscars seem to be forgetting that racism was cured 12 years ago by the film Crash”, tweeted comedian Rob Delaney, a few hours after this year’s Oscar nominations were announced and denizens of the Internet reacted with predictable outrage over the homogeneity of the competition.
