Last year the Oscar nominations were slammed for a lack of diversity on social media; it seems like Hollywood loves sequels because this year #OscarsSoWhite is trending again.
The 2016 Oscar nominations have been announced and, for the second year in a row, no actors of colour were given the Oscar nod in any of the 20 acting categories. In the past 87 years of the Oscar awards, there have been only 32 African-American winners out of 2,900 candidates.
This year actors like Will Smith (Concussion) and Idris Elba (Beasts Of No Nation), who were both nominated for Golden Globes, were expected to be nominated for Oscars. The cast members of Straight Outta Compton and Samuel L. Jackson for the Hateful Eight were also expected to be nominated.
A Los Angeles Times study found the academy voters are nearly 94 per cent Caucasian and 77 per cent male. Latino voters make up less than 2 per cent and Black voters are just over 2 per cent. The Oscar voters have a median age of 62.
The Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs told Deadline: “Of course I am disappointed, but
this is not to take away the greatness (of the films nominated). This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it,”
Twitter response:
Fifty Shades of Grey has been nominated for more Oscars than people of colour have this year #OscarsSoWhite
— Ian D. Sharman (@idsharman) January 14, 2016
Another white out at #OscarNoms What a surprise…… #OscarsSoWhite pic.twitter.com/qpdhgefMfC — ✨Tai J.✨ (@mrsjerseybelle5) January 14, 2016
We lost Alan Rickman and the Oscars are so white bread that it’s blinding. I’m going back to sleep. pic.twitter.com/tnchgyhaT8
— Hamilton’s Squad (@hamiltonssquad) January 14, 2016
No black acting nominees two years in a row is the first time that’s happened since 1997-98–so more a dip than a longstanding pattern. — Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) January 14, 2016
“Creed” and “Straight Outta Compton” both got one nomination each, but for the white people involved (actor, screenwriters). lulz — Damon Beres (@dlberes) January 14, 2016
#OscarsSoWhite black people can’t even get nominated for the movies about black people… https://t.co/3ZM9y09R7b — Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) January 14, 2016
When the foreign language film category is the closest thing to featuring people of color #OscarsSoWhite — Mayelee Watts (@wattsup101) January 14, 2016
#OscarsSoWhite like Snow White. All hail the whites again…. — Climate Change (@Rafiu_fishbone) January 14, 2016
In case you needed a little visual. It’s true #OscarsSoWhite. pic.twitter.com/qPnJUUhxv1 — Seth Siditsky (@SSiditsky) January 14, 2016
#OscarsSoWhite that Republicans may confuse it for a rally. — Charles Wade (@akacharleswade) January 14, 2016
It’s actually worse than last year. Best Documentary and Best Original Screenplay. That’s it. #OscarsSoWhite — April (@ReignOfApril) January 14, 2016
Please go hard on #OscarsSoWhite, Chris Rock. Please. #Oscars — Emily Gagne (@emilygagne) January 14, 2016
“The Big Short” pretty well sums up diversity in #OscarNoms #OscarsSoWhite — lancegould (@lancegould) January 14, 2016
