Hillary Clinton – who is running for president in the whitest Democratic party contest in years – says that the 2016 Academy Awards are too white and that the motion pictures association that picks nominees has to “catch up with our reality” on racial diversity. President Obama said that the present issue was just a voice that is debating a broader issue in the country. On this week’s Little Gold Men, we dive into the ongoing debate and the Academy’s rule changes, and include insight from John Legend, Spike Lee, and Don Cheadle-all three of them Academy members-who were interviewed by Vanity Fair’s executive west coast editor Krista Smith at the Sundance Film Festival.
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“I think that when everybody’s story is told, then that makes for better art; it makes for better entertainment; it makes everybody feel part of one American family”, Obama said.
On social media, Pinkett Smith blasted the Oscars for snubbing black actors at this year’s ceremony, saying “people of colour are always welcomed to give out awards”.
The President also explained why he believes diversity makes movies or anything else creative better and more artistic.
“If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job”. “I would also make the argument, I don’t think it’s a problem of who you’re picking as much as it is: How many options are available to minorities in film, particularly in quality films?” To hear that, for the second successive year, no actor of color had been nominated for this distinction was, of course, dispiriting, but seeing that fact visualized in this stark and unequivocating way was nearly viscerally distressing. After the nomination announcement, Boone Isaacs told reporters she was “disappointed” by the lack of diversity among the candidates. Last week, the Academy announced new initiatives to diversify its membership. Sylvester Stallone received a best supporting actor nod for his role in Creed, and the white writers of Compton got a nomination for best original screenplay. “The Board’s goal is to commit to doubling the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020”.
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The Academy has a membership of over 5,000 Oscar voters, almost 94 percent of which is Caucasian and 77 percent male with an average age of 62, according to a study conducted in 2012 by the Los Angeles Times. This will allow new members an opportunity to become more active in Academy decision-making and help the organization identify and nurture future leaders.
