Oscars So White!
- Myra Chawla
- Jun 21, 2021
- 3 min read
The Academy Awards, alias Oscar awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry. They are regarded as one of the most significant and prestigious awards one can get in the entertainment industry. In the past couple of years, Oscar has been facing backlash for its racist regiment choices. Oscar's reputation has been tainted by criticism centred around its lack of diversity, racial and gender bias, and its dismissal of International accomplishments on the big screen Racism at Oscar is nothing new, of oof course When Hattie McDaniel became the first black actor to win an Oscar in 1939, she was put on a segregated table at the back of the awards show and refused entry at the "Whites-only" after-party. This exclusion remains even more prominent and extends upon beyond the blacks. Miyoshi Umeki remains the only Asian person to win an acting award in the "The Best Supporting Actress "category. OnlLatinatina women have been nominated for best actress, and Rami Malek is the first women of Arab descent to win an acting Oscar. Even to this day, Steven Yeun and Riz Ahmed have become the first Asian-American and Muslim to be nominated for the best Oscar, for Minari and Sound of Metal, respectively.
Oscar has always been considered a highly distinguished and esteemed award. Therefore one wonders why most of the awards are given to Hollywood movies? The Indian Gully Boy is narrowed down to a mere 5 films crammed into the Best Foreign Language Film Category which after much criticism was later renamed to the Best International Feature Film Award.
Even though 'Parasite'-the South Korean winner of the best picture category is a hard-hitting, cinematic gem, it seems plausible that the widespread praise for the film at the Oscar was a tokenistic attempt to hide the inherent racism in the Industry. With the President of the United States finding fault with the South Korean win the American Cultural hegemony knowingly or unknowingly runs deeper into our society. Even in the twenty-first century- Tollywood Nollywood and other regional films continue to be overlooked and underrated In an era where one has access to media from across the world, it would be strange for us to close our minds to the universal storyline that transcend all borders and stories that touch our heart. So, the view Nanjis and So Yong Kim must be appreciated and recognized, and be given the same platform as the Quentin Tarantino and the Clint Eastwood of the world.
Even though facing criticism and facing this massacre-like scrutiny by Oscar award audiences, it has not changed much of its techniques for choosing the nominees. After being delayed a couple of months because of the pandemic, the nominees do include international films but still lack the representation of people with disabilities and the lgbtq+ communities. This leaves us pondering if Oscar will ever change its unrealistic approach of "inclusivity " and do something to change it. Many people have also claimed that Oscar films are rigged, corrupt and have preselected winners. It has been highlighted and brought to attention by many directors that winning an Oscar is "worthless", even though the likelihood of gaining a larger audience for the film may increase, entering that category is not very difficult. Oscar has a prefixed formula and gives a fair unfair advantage to specific storylines and choices. Many actors who aim to win an Oscar, work on "oscar-bait" films, specifically designed for the awards show.
The movies that mostly win are real-life based, have specific colour scheme are highly recommended by critics and are given a top rating on rotten tomatoes. This makes us question the legitimacy of the award ceremony and wonder if the Oscar will be able to improve its tarnished reputation.
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