For the past two years, everyone who is in film & TV or is a fan of film & TV, have started to take genuine notice of diversity in the industry. Spoiler alert, it’s tragic and has been tragic since film began in the late 1800’s and more notably the birth of Hollywood in the late 20’s/early 30’s. But it’s only noticeable to the mainstream now because the non-white section of the TV and film industry are starting to make content that deserves the highest of accolades. Sure, nobody was preaching for Shaft and Super Fly to be nominated for an Oscar. At that point in the timeline black filmmakers were finally given the opportunity to make what they wanted which was extremely rare before the 70’s and 80’s.
Since then people like Singleton, Lee, Fuqua, Daniels, DuVernay, Coogler and others have created texts that have deserved recognition but have struggled to get it. And let’s make something clear, black maybe the largest ‘minority’ but we can’t forget the others. Alejandro González Iñárritu who could possibly win consecutive ‘Best Director’ Oscars? Mexican. Ang Lee. ‘Life of Pi’, ‘Brokeback Mountain’, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’. Heard of those? Taiwanese. Now those are just two examples but if you look deeper there is a deep well of talent everywhere. Asia, Europe, South America and yes, in your US of A. Yet, according to the Hollywood Diversity report 2015, (carried out by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA) the percentage of non-white directors has risen from 11% in 2012 to a, wait for it. 17.8% in 2013. Why?
What about the actors and actresses in lead roles? 1.6% increase between 2012 and 2013. Bear in mind that the US minority population accounts for 37.4% of the overall population in 2013. And these are figures from 2013, it’s safe to say that the numbers have probably risen since then and still were talking about #OscarsSoWhite.
Speaking of #OscarsSoWhite, here is my take on all this. Firstly, Will Smith shouldn’t have been nominated for best actor. I mean that’s why this has all kicked off right. I don’t care what Jada says, part of her boycotting is because of Will and we all know it. If any black actor should get nominated, it’s Michael B Jordan for ‘Creed’. I’ve seen that film twice and his performance is immaculate and didn’t dissipate when I watched it twice. Next, Michael Caine and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only two people that have hit the nail on the head. Caine got a little backlash because he’s white and “Doesn’t know what it’s like”. Miss me with that he’s been in the game for over 50 years I think he knows a thing or two. Here’s the gist of what he said.
“”There’s loads of black actors. In the end you can’t vote for an actor because he’s black. You can’t say ‘I’m going to vote for him, he’s not very good, but he’s black, I’ll vote for him’.”
It’s direct no doubt but he is right. I’ll say why when I give a solution for all of this. Onto Kareem who penned a beautiful piece on The Hollywood Reporter. Here’s the quote that gets this spot on.
“The problem is that Academy members seem to notice black performers mostly when they play socially familiar roles: athletes, performers, slaves, victims of racism, criminals. Eight of the last 10 male black actors nominated for best performance played real people, all of whom fall into one of the above categories. Opportunities for breakout roles are even worse for black women, who have received only nine best actress nominations, versus 18 for men.”
“Athletes, performers, slaves, victim of racism, criminals”. That is the million-dollar quote.
We lack originality. Not just films by a non-white filmmaker. Films in general. Everything is either based on a book or based on a historical event. Why can’t people create a film as original as novelists? Black characters in film are rarely portrayed in a unique light. Have you seen a film with a black lead who is trying to get in to Harvard whilst living in downtown LA? I have, it’s called ‘Dope’, look it up. Samantha White (portrayed by Tessa Thompson) in Justin Simien’s ‘Dear White People’ said ‘We’re an underfed community’ when it came to minorities and watching films with black, Latino or Asian representation and it’s true. Wonder why Tyler Perry’s Madea films are endlessly being churned out? It’s because there’s nothing else. Hollywood knows that Tyler Perry films and Marlon Wayans’ “Fifty Shades of Black” will sell because they know those in two in particular can do comedy. What do you think will happen if Marlon walked into the execs office at Universal saying “I’ve got a great idea for a melodramatic drama”? And sure, there’s Selma and 12 Years a Slave but those films weren’t exactly made for a casual watch.
If it isn’t about slavery or racism, the voters for the Oscars, Golden Globes and other prestigious awards barely look at it.
I have a solution but this will not be rectified in one year. This is a thing that will take a generation or two so I would not be surprised if there are a couple more #OscarsSoWhite down the line. Remember what Caine said, patience. It begins with the executive positions. The Hollywood Diversity Report has the numbers for film studio heads which is 94 percent male, 100% white. In fact, look up the statistics for any executive position in the film industry and it is 90+% white. That is where change needs to start. From the top down, that will take the most time. Next, original content. Non-white filmmakers must venture out from doing films about slavery. Now don’t get me wrong I loved ’12 Years’ but at some point ideas for films need to be fresh, production companies won’t want a slavery film every year unless the story is as extraordinary as Solomon Northup’s. Films like ‘Dope’ and ‘Dear White People’ are great examples of what is needed and despite the controversial nature of Spike Lee’s films, those are the kind of films I am talking about.
That is all, original content where there are opportunities for people like John Boyega, Tessa Thompson, Michael B Jordan and Shameik Moore to be a lead in an excellent text. And executive representation where it’s not just old white men not giving people a chance.
You are looking at this all wrong if you think that minorities are doing enough and just aren’t getting the credit. There is an added effort that is needed by us. We need to create and also support works where they can’t help but recognise and reward accordingly.
