Oops Oscars! You did it Again

The Oscars have done again, what they always do. It’s essentially, an all white, all male club that refuses to change the rules.

The Oscar nominees for 2020 have been announced and no woman has been considered for the category of Best Director in spite of the fact that some of this year’s finest crafted films were made by women. Almost every major lineup of directorial awards for the films of 2019 has been all male show and the Oscars have just upheld the chain. What else can explain the exclusion of Greta Gerwig of Little Women fame in the director nominations, despite the film getting six other nominations, including Best Picture, Costume Design, Score, and Actress in a Leading and a Supporting Role. Other women directors who got left out include Marielle Heller for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Lulu Wang for The Farewell, Melina Matsoukas for Queen & Slim, Celine Sciamma for Portrait of A Lady and Lorene Scafaria for Hustlers. The snub was widely recognized and reacted upon. Actor Issa Ray was sarcasm personified, with a “Congratulations to all the MEN” as she announced the Oscar Best Director nominations.

Harriest star Cynthia Erivo is the only person of colour among the 20 nominees in the acting categories. She has been nominated for Best Actress. Jennifer Lopez has been ignored for her role in Hustlers as has Beyonce for her song Spirit in The Lion King. Actor Eddie Murphy, garnered critical acclaim for Dolomite is My Name but his name too is missing in the Best Actor category. The only solace is the surprise nomination of Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite in both the Best Picture and Best Director categories. The film has managed an impressive six nominations, a first for any film from South Korea.

The nominations have sparked a cry of outrage. Fans and critics alike are in uproar over this lack of inclusiveness in today’s times. It is to be remembered that in 2016, there had been a similar uproar and the hash tag #OscarsSoWhite went viral after no actors of color were nominated for Best Leading or Supporting Actor. The Academy had then vowed to look into the matter seriously. Looks like they’re still looking.