*In 2002, when Halle Berry and Denzel Washington walked home with the Best Actress and Best Actor Oscars at the 74th Annual Academy Awards, the African-American community was beyond hopeful that a change had indeed come.
Fast forward to 2016…Creed, Straight Outta Compton, Selma, Beasts of No Nation and Concussion were all worthy of Academy recognition. Yet, each one was snubbed and we watched for the second year in a row as zero actors of color were recognized for their artistry. Seriously, how can a film named after the ONLY African-American character in the Rocky film franchise also have people of color who are leading actor, director and screenwriter…yet the only person acknowledged is the franchise is creator Sylvester Stallone?
Or better yet, how can a film like Straight Outta Compton single-handedly pull Universal Pictures out of the red and get dissed at every turn. Yes, Hollywood has a blatant double standard when it comes to the promotion and recognition of films featuring people of color behind and in from of the lens.
Don’t get me wrong, I am ” Yo…Rocky” all day long, however, Sylvester Stallone literally already owns an Oscar for Rocky. Don’t even get me started on how female directors have been snubbed!
So, going into the 2017 Oscar race, is it conceivable that 2016 has become the best year for African-Americans on celluloid? In my opinion…Yes and No.
Yes, heading into the home stretch of 2016 Loving, Hidden Figures, Moonlight, Queen of Katwe, Lion, Southside With You, Miles Ahead, Race, Fences and even Nate Parker’s controversial The Birth of a Nation are already setting records for the number of films released with people of color that have significantly improved our presence on the silver screen. That’s right kids, we are finally pushing back from those stereotypical images. Even Disney stepped up to the plate on the big and small screens with projects like Queen of Katwe, Moana and Elena of Avalor.
Yes, there is a huge elephant in the room. Why has Hollywood become the catalyst for teaching Black History? Growing up in America, the school system never mentioned Solomon Northrup! Why did I have to learn in Olympic Pride, American Prejudice that Jesse Owens wasn’t the only person of color to compete in the Berlin Olympics or that there were a select group of brilliant women who played an integral part of computations that brought “white” astronauts to the moon and back in the 60’s.
No, there will be no need for #oscarsowhite for the 2017 race. It will definitely be a fight to the finish for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories thanks to the performances of Ruth Negga, Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, Lupita Nyong’o, Tika Sumpter, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae and that’s just to name a few!
Even the documentary scene, with projects like Miss Sharon Jones, Maya: And Still I Rise, Olympic Pride: American Prejudice, OJ: Made In America, I Am Not Your Negro and the thought–provoking “13” directed by Ava DuVernay and the surprisingly emotional “Life, Animated” directed by previous Oscar winner Roger Rees focuses on a child who breaks out of his autistic prison through the positive, uplifting messages found in Disney films and its characters.
Exciting right? But wait…there’s more! You heard it here first! Denzel Washington will make history again taking home the gold as the first African-American Director for the film adaptation of August Wilson’s Tony winning play Fences.
From fighting the racial injustice of the Jim Crow south to celebrating the love and courtship of our President of the United States and First Lady, 2016 could very well become pragmatic with the shift in images surrounding people of color on film. A whole new generation will now know that we’re more than American cinema has allowed us to be for decades. A change has not only come…it’s here. Let’s hope moving forward that the hashtag for the 2017 doesn’t involve the word diversity or white. Let’s be hopeful that the industry heard our cry and will continue to show up and show out sharing people of color, whose stories are inspiring and uplifting to our community and the world.
Carla Renata is a member of the African American Film Critics Association. Visit www.aafca.com #theaafca #aafca
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