by Mimi Marshall
The Oscars, as we all know, are notoriously white. But the 2020 Oscars Ceremony marked one of the most significant moments in film history: Parasite (Bong Joon-ho) became the first non-English language film to take home the Best Picture prize. The film is a masterpiece, and, having also won the top award at Cannes Film Festival, was well-deserving of the esteemed prize in every aspect.
But why, after 92 years of the Academy Awards, was this the first ever non-English film to win? Why is the Oscars still so biased towards white people and male creators? We’ve all seen the “Oscars So White” hashtag floating around for years, but what does this really mean in the context of Oscars, and film history?
Movies pop culture influence our lives and our minds more and more as time passes, so it is important to be educated on the bias within the most famous awards ceremony in film. Read below for a brief dissection of the diversity problem throughout the history of the Academy Awards.
The Origin of the Oscars
The origin of the Academy Awards is not widely known. People like to believe that the Academy was founded upon the principle that great films should be recognized for their contributions to the arts, but the truth is much more business-central than that. Louis B. Mayer, the studio film producer who founded the Academy in 1927, has famously stated that it was created as a means for him to control the filmmakers whose films he wanted to produce, and, “to work out labour disputes in the studio’s favour”.
And the first ceremony, held in 1929, was...reflective of the times, to say the least. The most popular film at the time was a 1927 musical drama called The Jazz Singer. This was the first ever feature film to have sound, marking the end of the silent film era. The film was awarded an honorary prize at the first Academy Awards, but has since gained a controversial reputation for its use of blackface.
At the time, this was nothing out of the ordinary. No one in Hollywood saw anything wrong with the use of blackface in the 1920s, so no one saw any reason to do anything but praise the film. But though times have changed significantly, and these actions have been recognized as being unacceptable and degrading, the essence of these times, to a certain extent, remains.
The Prejudice Remains
To this day, the Academy is reflective of its origin. It is, still, biased towards white people and male creators. In 92 years, only six Black directors (1), and only five female directors (2), have been nominated for Best Director. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first Black woman to receive an acting Oscar, but 60 years passed before Whoopi Goldberg became the second in 2000.
But when the panel of voters is 84% white and 68% male, and was 92% white and 75% male only five years ago, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise. The Academy still operates under a model that favours the white man, and gives less opportunities to equally-deserving people among minority groups. This is reflective of the circumstances under which the Academy was founded; not from a genuine desire to acknowledge the most talented creators and performers in film, but to advance the careers of those on top of the industry. To this day, the Academy seems to still believe that white actors and male creators are the standard in film and are what drive the industry forward, a notion set in alarmingly “traditional” values that were accepted in the 1920s, when the Academy was founded. But, c’mon, we’re way past that.
To be clear, representation is not about filling a quota. In the eloquent words of April Reign, the activist who coined #OscarsSoWhite, “It is about operating outside of the same networks that have been used for years and instead providing opportunities to talented craftspeople from groups not usually included”. Well-deserving artists from marginalized groups are too often omitted from the pool of nominees...and for what reason? Because their voices are not valued as highly by the voting committee.
Still a Long Way to Go...
Don’t get me wrong - the progress that has been made in recent years is a huge step in the right direction. Moonlight’s 2017 Best Picture win, Alfonso Cuarón’s 2019 Best Director win for his international feature Roma, and Greta Gerwig’s 2018 Best Director nomination for Lady Bird were all marvelous moments. But there still remains a sense of tokenism in the Oscars. These are, in the context of the Academy’s history, fairly small efforts to portray an image of equality for their brand. These were all well deserved recognitions and their successes should not be diminished, but it is important to acknowledge that these are, unfortunately, infrequent. And because they are so infrequent, it is hard to praise the Academy for just occasionally recognizing that marginalized groups of people are- big shocker, here - just as capable of creating great films.
It almost seems like the Academy thinks that their slow and subtle shift to a slightly more inclusive system is all that needs to be done. Though some progress is being made, most notably this year when Parasite won Best Picture, it is long overdue, and there is still a long way to go.
And the irony of Parasite’s win is best explained by Twitter user @tsengputterman, “I doubt the Academy watched this film and saw it for what it is -- a radical indictment of the capitalist war machine they profit from and perpetuate”. While we are ecstatic for director Bong Joon-ho, can we be sure that the prize was awarded from a place of true appreciation and understanding rather than tokenism?
So, the question then remains: What is really being done to combat the Oscar that systematically favours the white man while wearing a medal commending itself for “embracing diversity”?
That medal is made out of plastic. You’re gonna have to try harder, @TheAcademy!
John Singleton, “Boyz N the Hood” (1991)
Lee Daniels, “Precious” (2009)
Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave” (2013)
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight” (2016)
Jordan Peele, “Get Out” (2017)
Spike Lee, “BlackKklansman” (2018)
(2) Lena Wertmüller, “Seven Beauties” (1976)
Jane Campion, “The Piano” (1993)
Sofia Coppola, “Lost in Translation” (2003)
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker” (2009)
Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird” (2017)
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