Whenever something as glitzy and overblown as The Oscars are discussed, jaded people who will watch regardless of their favorite film losing the award always say the same thing; the Oscars don’t matter, so who cares? To be fair, they do have a point. Essentially, this overly decadent awards show is nothing more than a big televised circle jerk where rich Hollywood celebrities hand each other gold statues to imply some type of importance to the work they’ve received that very award for. However, I’m of the belief that they mean a whole lot more than that, and that there is a possibility for the Academy to actually do some good.
As far as awards shows go, it’s fair to say that the Academy Awards are easily the most popular in terms of viewing numbers and memorable moments. Sure, the Grammys and Emmys do come close, but ever since the Kanye/Swift debacle in 2009, there hasn’t really been a moment in either of these ceremonies that has made national news in a while. With the Oscars, it seems like something crazy happens every few years.
To me, the most iconic Oscar moment of the decade was the 2017 Best Picture award announcement for a few reasons. That year, the conversation only seemed to be about two movies; La La Land and Moonlight. Despite both of these being great films, the world was divided on who they wanted to win and who they knew would win, and as for the latter, it seemed like everyone knew that the trophy would go to La La Land, and for a moment, it did. That was until Jordan Horrowitz who realized the mistake as soon as everyone finished their speeches yanked the cue card out of a confused Warren Beatty’s hand and yelled the words we all know by heart; “There’s been a mistake! Moonlight, you guys won best picture!”
Not since Michael Moore’s Bush rant during his acceptance speech for Bowling for Columbine has there been such a shocking and controversial moment. When this happened, I was completely unsure how to feel. On the one hand, I loved both films, but I was so conflicted because I can sympathize with the sheer disappointment of thinking you’ve won and then immediately having that victory snatched from you. However, as the years have gone by, I’ve realized that Moonlight’s win is easily the most culturally impactful to ever happen, and if the Academy continued to go down this road, maybe people’s thoughts on them would have softened a little bit. However, just two years later, they disappointed everyone again by awarding the notorious feel good white savior movie Green Book with the award for Best Picture.
This might be an overstatement, but the air was completely sucked out of the room with the announcement that this film won in the same way it was when Trump won the presidency. There was a mixture of shock and confusion, but mostly disappointment, because in terms of racial awareness in film and among the Academy, this felt like a step backwards. This mostly has to do with the fact that the director of this “story of acceptance” was Peter Farrely, a white man known for slapstick comedies and showing his genitals to unsuspecting women. To me, someone who’s loved watching the Oscars for almost their entire life, this was a massive blow, because I know they can do better, and here’s how.
What Moonlight’s win meant to me and many others was that the Academy was taking a step in the right direction. The fact that a film about a young gay black man on a production budget of only 1.5 Million dollars could have the mainstream crossover appeal that it did is astounding, and it shows that there is room for original and innovative filmmaking in an industry that seems to be preoccupied with cranking out disposable blockbusters as of late. The impact of this win was seen just a year later when A24’s next big film Lady Bird, a film directed by a woman on a budget of a slightly bigger but still relatively small 10 Million had even more mainstream appeal and made almost 50 Million at the box office.
Essentially, the argument that I’m trying to make with this piece is that those who have power should use it, and despite the mainstream attention being focused somewhere that we may not like now, there’s always a way to make a difference. However, the Academy aren’t the only ones with that power, we have it as well. Audiences need to be more proactive in looking for films by people of marginalized groups so that everyone has the ability to share their voice. For those who may not know where to start, below I will link some info on a few different films by people from marginalized groups that are coming out in the near future, and deserve our support.
I hope you find these helpful and continue supporting people whose voices deserve to be heard.
Links: Points of Research
Green Book’s win: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-oscars-green-book-worst-best-picture-winner-20190224-story.html
Moonlight’s Win: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/02/28/we-were-there-how-worst-flub-oscar-history-went-down/377305002/
Films to Look Out For:
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) Dir. Marielle Heller https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3224458/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Little Women (2019) Dir. Greta Gerwig https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3281548/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Abominable (2019) Dir. Jill Culton https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6324278/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Saint Maud (2019) Dir. Rose Glass https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7557108/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Hustlers (2019) Dir. Lorena Scafara https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5503686/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Radioactive (2019) Dir. Marjane Satrapi https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6017756/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Just Mercy (2019) Dir. Destin Daniel Cretton https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4916630/?ref_=tt_sims_tti
Harriet (2019) Dir. Kesi Lemmons https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4648786/?ref_=tt_sims_tti
Jojo Rabbit (2019) Dir. Taika Waititi https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2584384/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_3
Clemency (2019) Dir. Chinonye Chukwu https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5577494/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) Dir. Celinne Sciamma https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8613070/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Matthias & Maxime (2020) Dir. Xavier Dolan https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8767908/?ref_=nv_sr_2?ref_=nv_sr_2
Shirley (2020) Dir. Josephine Decker https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8430598/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always (2020) Dir. Eliza Hittman https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7772582/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1
The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) Dir. Dee Rees https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7456312/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Tigers are Not Afraid (2019) Dir. Issa Lopez https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4823434/?ref_=tt_sims_tt
The Rhythm Section (2020) Dir. Reed Morano https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7134096/
I think it would be interesting to think about how we, the people in the audience that are not a part of the Academy, could search for these kinds of films by marginalized groups and people. Independent creators produce some of the best, most interesting media around, but it’s difficult to find sometimes because information about them usually is not all that accessible. We can google whatever we want, or use a different search engine if preferred, but those results are influenced by how many people before you looked up those things. I appreciate your recommended list a lot for this reason! I wouldn’t have found many of these things without it. I wish that the Oscars and the Academy did care a little more about these types of films.
I agree with the points you touched on, and I think this is a very controversial subject. The Oscars really should be a vehicle for independent films especially because many of them are the ones that have some the most representation. And not only are indie films more inclusive, but they are some of the most accurately represented. And like you were saying when you addressed Green Book’s win, that film has some element of diversity, but it is not respectful to the minority group being “represented” in the film. The Oscars do have power here, and unfortunately many people just don’t have the time or energy to go out of their way to find Indie films, and their distributors can’t always afford for broader advertising. Black Panther as well had great representation, but didn’t need the publicity from the academy. So the motives and purposes of the academy can become very conflicting.
I generally agree with your argument here. I used to love watching the Oscars, but over the last few years, have shifted towards just reading the winners list after the fact. I think one thing that caused this shift for me is, like for many others, the Academy Awards feel very self-serving and self-rewarding. They tend to highlight the big budget blockbusters, and while I love those sorts of movies, they often take attention away from smaller, but potentially more important and impactful films that deserve their chance in the spotlight.
I think this is a very interesting and also controversial topic that you have brought up, but I do agree with some of the points you make. In my opinion, I’ve always thought the Oscars were too long and honestly quite boring to watch. However, because so many people watch the Oscars and are influenced by the Oscars, I think that the awards should actually honor what we think they are supposed to honor — good filmmaking. If your film has a great story, great acting, great camera and all the other components, you’ve done it! You’ve done it! You’ve made a great movie and you should be recognized for that. So, my point is that the Oscars should be more inclusive of all films regardless of topic and budget, etc. because if your story is moving to people, then you should get some recognition.
Your article clearly points out the discrepancy between films that are celebrated and awarded every year, and those that aren’t, and it leads you to wonder where these issues source from. In further researching how the Academy works, it seems clear that the reason we consistently see movies from a white, male, big budget background get lauded annually is because the Academy is still predominantly white and male. The process to become a member of the Academy requires nomination from two people who are already Academy members, so it makes sense that it is extremely difficult to reach a significant diversification quickly, especially if the members don’t see a need for diversification. It seems that since 2016 there has been a push to diversify the Academy by 2020, but it will be interesting to see if there is an actual difference this year.
I think you’re definitely right in saying the Oscars have an impact on the success of films, in terms of getting more views by a widespread audience. However, I’m conflicted on the argument that audiences should seek out films by marginalized groups, just for the sake of promoting those people. On one hand, demand drives creation, and showing up for creators from different backgrounds is a signal for Hollywood to support such artists. I also think that even with creators from different backgrounds, Hollywood tends to create the same stories that reinforce capitalism and white supremacy. Not that there’s no way to succeed in Hollywood without succumbing to those standards, but the system supports works that sustain it, not challenge it. Content creators who make movies for themselves and their communities are rarely recognized by Hollywood because they don’t follow Hollywood conventions. I think the fact that Greenbook won just goes to show how much work we have to do, and that work will be done independently of Hollywood, which is a corrupt system. Movies that challenge that system can still be successful in their own way, by showing different voices, but it’s much harder for them to be successful in the mainstream because they’re defying the norms that have been reinforced by Hollywood.
Certainly, the Oscars have power. They have the power to bring to light and mainstream acceptance media created by and for marginalized and underrepresented people trying to tell their stories to the world, like the did with Moonlight. As much as I love La La Land, and actually personally prefer it as a film, it cannot be understated that Moonlight for all intents and purposes is a more culturally impactful film that despite all its limitations was able to make it to Oscar fame. Because of that, I think that the fact that the Academy chose it over a big budget La La Land is astounding, and hopefully this means (after the few fumbles that happened since) they can get back on the right track to support underrepresented filmmakers and help get their stories out there.
You brought up a lot of good points and tackled at controversial topic really well! It was a really interesting and enjoyable read and I especially like how you mentioned the list of future films that we, the audience, can go see and as you said “be proactive in looking for films by people of marginalized groups”. I have always thought the Oscars in general should be rewards for the art that is created, regardless on if someone had a different budget or not. If it can connect to an audience, then you’re already on your way. What I think a big issue also could be for these marginalized movies is that they just don’t get the marketing that other films might get. For example, I saw on your list you put Jojo Rabbit, and I had only heard of that film because I was going down the rabbit hole on IMDB (no pun intended). It’s a film I am very excited for but had I not researched it; I don’t know if I would’ve ever of found it. It’s about giving an equal voice and an equal publicity for all films, that way it can reach out to a variety of audiences everywhere. Great work!
There’s definitely a lack of diversity and intersectionality in the Academy Awards and it needs to change. We all remember the #OskarsSoWhite movement, which critiqued the show for nominating only the white actors in the lead and supporting acting categories. The movement actually had some positive impact and boosted diversity. The Oscars’ system is far from perfect, but I think if the show will measure the worth of real artistic achievement rather than the status of movies, there will be more positive change in the show.