By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --The 2017 Oscar nominations were a banner year for black nominees both in front of and behind the camera, but other nonwhite groups and women were largely left out of the running. As #OscarsSoWhite creator April Reign said, her hashtag was never about just black actors, but all communities marginalized in Hollywood including Asians, Latinos, and women.
"We still have work to do," said Gil Robertson, president of the African American Film Critics Association.
This year, the sole non-black acting nominee of color was British-Indian actor Dev Patel for his supporting performance in "Lion." It's been over 13 years since another Indian – Ben Kingsley – was nominated. Kinglsey is also the only person of Asian/Indian descent to be nominated for best actor (two nominations, one win). The lead actress category is even bleaker for Asian women. You have to go back to 1935 to find the only nominee.
Latinos, too, have been missing from the acting nominations for years. Demian Bichir was the last Latino best actor nominee in 2012. In the supporting category, you have to look to 2004 and Benicio de Toro's nomination for "21 Grams." The last time a lead actress of Latino descent was nominated was Colombian actress Catalina Sandino Moreno in 2005 for "Maria Full of Grace."
"We just have to keep on doing good films and if in the United States these get picked up and they get a little bit of attention, well, it's great," said Mexican actor and director Gael Garcia Bernal. "But at the same time, it's something that is not in our hands. We need to just make good films."
Supporting actor nominee Mahershala Ali hopes that people of color can become part of the fabric of entertainment in a "real and organic way."
Behind the camera, after a three year stretch of Mexican filmmakers winning best director, this year none were nominated. The only Latino nominee in any category this year is Rodrigo Prieto, who was nominated for best cinematography for "Silence." If he wins, it will be the fifth year in a row that a Latino has won that prize.
Asians behind the camera were a little more represented. "La La Land's" Ai-ling Lee became the first Asian sound editing nominee. And "La La Land's" Tom Cross, who is half-Vietnamese, is up for the editing award. Toshio Suzuki is nominated for best animated feature for "The Red Turtle," as is Joanna Natasegara for best documentary short for "The White Helmets." This past year, the academy also gave Jackie Chan an honorary Oscar.
"It's not about the awards, it's about the creators, the actual birth of those stories," said Patel.
Women, too, are a minority in Hollywood. For women behind the camera, things have gotten worse overall, despite some strides, including "Jackie" composer Mica Levi becoming the first women to be nominated for original score.
However, it's been seven years since there was a female best director nominee when Kathryn Bigelow won for "The Hurt Locker." Before Bigelow, there had been only three female directing nominees in the history of the awards.
Only one woman was nominated in any screenwriting category, Allison Schroeder for "Hidden Figures," down from three last year, and, once again, no women were nominated for cinematography.
Other categories experienced similar drops, save an increase in nominations for women in the sound editing and sound mixing categories, thanks to "La La Land's" Ai-ling Lee.
Overall representation of women in Oscar-nominated behind-the-scenes categories fell two percent, according to a recent report from the Women's Media Center.
But this isn't surprising to those who follow the industry year round.
"This year is similar to previous years where we don't have enough women in many of the positions behind the scenes," said Melissa Silverstein, the founder and publisher of the Women and Hollywood blog. "It's wonderful to see a lot of female producers whose films are nominated for best picture, but again this illuminates how difficult it is for women to rise to the top of the business and to be taken seriously at this level."
And it's not just a box office issue, Silverstein says. It's also about prestige.
"When money is there, there are fewer women. When prestige is there, there are fewer women," she said. "This has not changed and I don't see this changing on the horizon. At the Oscars we just notice it a lot more."
AP Entertainment Reporter Nicole Evatt contributed to this report.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More