And the award for whitewashing goes to: the Oscars

[dropcap]E[/dropcap]very year I look forward to the Oscars: I am indeed one of those people that, somewhat naively, buys into the glitz and glamour, wanting to watch the stars and the films that they are nominated for. This year, however, my excitement at seeing the list of nominations came with a much more sombre tone. For yet another year running, the Academy Awards are dominated by a sea of white male faces – what an absolute surprise (according to a 2012 study by the Los Angeles Times, the membership that votes for the nominees is 94% white and 77% male).

Sylvester Stallone received Creed’s only academy award nomination for his performance. Image: Warner Brothers

Last year, the hashtag ‘#OscarsSoWhite’ began trending when the nominations were revealed, and it reared its head again this year: all twenty acting nominees are white, for the second year in a row, and major films by people of colour have been entirely ignored – or worse, the only white people involved are the ones that have been deemed good enough to nominate.

Straight Outta Compton, for example, gained critical acclaim, yet only its white screenwriters have been nominated for anything. Similarly, with Creed, the only white male in the cast, Sylvester Stallone, is the one who has been recognised by the Academy – while the rest of its cast and crew have been ignored and snubbed for the usual set of white men and Academy favourites. Chris Rock being made the host could even be seen as a half-hearted olive branch for this; I sincerely hope he makes a mockery of this snubbing.

And while the number of women nominated overall has steadily risen over the years, these are so rarely women of colour – diversity can only go so far, according to the white male members of the Academy

Take Jennifer Lawrence, for example, whose performance in Joy left a lot to be desired, in my humble opinion: yet as the reigning Academy darling, she has taken a spot in the acting categories that could have been given to any number of talented women of colour. And while the number of women nominated overall has steadily risen over the years, these are so rarely women of colour – diversity can only go so far, according to the white male members of the Academy, pathetic though this may be.

Jennifer Lawrence playing the divorce, mid 30s mother of two Joy Mangano, for some reason. Image: Fox Press Office

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still looking forward to watching several of the films nominated, just as usual. Birdman, last year’s Best Picture winner, still remains one of my favourite films, as are many of those similarly awarded by the Academy. The Revenant, I hope, will bring Leonardo Dicaprio his long-awaiting Best Actor statuette, and seeing films tackling heavy topics – such as Spotlight, tackling the Boston child abuse scandal, and The Big Short on the economic crash – being given some well-deserved attention is something I appreciate as an avid film watcher.

 It is almost as if by awarding ‘12 Years A Slave’ two years ago, the Academy thinks it is brought itself the time to once again predominantly focus on the white men that dominate its membership

But why must these come at the expense of so many fantastic works of art and performances by people of colour in particular? It is almost as if by awarding 12 Years A Slave two years ago, the Academy thinks it is brought itself the time to once again predominantly focus on the white men that dominate its membership – an argument many are pointing out on Twitter.

I will be, as always, tuning into the Oscars on 28^th February. However, the continuing racism and sexism that is inherent in the Academy continues to tinge the name and status of the event. With the Academy’s complete lack of diversity, and with most of its members being above a certain age, it could be a long while before continued recognition of the work of women and people of colour finally seeps through to the Oscars: I hope for its sake this day comes sooner, rather than later.

The 88th Academy Awards will take place on the 28th of February.