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| Leonardo Di Caprio in The Revenant (Image: denofgeek.us) |
While it is dangerous to assume, I can confidently claim that everyone who has seen a film, has at least one favourite. They can really tell us the sort of people we are - what makes us tick, laugh, cry, gasp, reflective. Films are incredibly powerful and sometimes influential. So much so that when the industry makes a decision about recognising the "best", some are inclined to start a debate about it.
The most recent debate widely publicised in regards to the film industry is the nominations for the individual actor Academy Awards gongs. It has been noticed that out of the twenty talents shortlisted for the Best Actor in a Leading Role, Supporting Actor, Best Actress in a Leading Role and Supporting Actress, all of them are Caucasian. The fact there is a lack of ethnic diversity that people are putting up a fuss.
The 88th Academy Awards announcement has caused a stir and divided opinions. Some are outspokenly against it with a number of household names deciding to boycott the ceremony on the 28th February in Hollywood - actress Jada Pinkett Smith and director Spike Lee to name a couple. The hashtag #OscarSoWhite has been trending on Twitter so general public can share their apparent disgust.
Those on the other side of this argument choose to suggest that those nominated for the Academy Awards are merited of such recognition and therefore no racism is implied or intended. I lean towards this as I understand there is a rigorous process in order to conclude the shortlist. I would at least like to believe that there was no racism involved in the decision-making, and I am equally sure that there are actors who aren't Caucasian and deserving of recognition of the highest kind.
However, I have bigger problems with the Academy Awards which reflects on the film industry as a whole. This particular award ceremony is the most publicised compared to all the others like Bafta and Golden Globes. It is also widely respected among film buffs and those with little interest in blockbusters so you can see why stakes and emotions are high when it comes to who is nominated and eventually wins. But having followed the ceremonies for years, I am getting increasingly tired of the fact that the same people, and similar type of films stealing the spotlight compared to the constantly ignored.
I look at the nominations and roll my eyes at 41-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio being nominated for the Best Actor role for the fourth time in 11 years. He hasn't won but now you won't see him in a film that isn't likely to be an award winner. Today, he seems almost desperate to at least get nominated. Looking back on his acting past, I can understand as he was overlooked for any Academy Award nomination for his great roles in Titanic, Romeo & Juliet, Catch Me If You Can and Beaches earlier in his career. While there's no doubting his versatility, he pulls off roles that, in my view, many other actors can do with potentially more conviction. Wouldn't Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, John Cusack, for example, who have never been nominated for an Oscar have pulled off a role DiCaprio was eventually nominated for?
I'm sure the late great Alan Rickman would have been honoured to be nominated for an Academy Award. Yet while he won a Best Supporting Actor Bafta for his portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves in 1991 and Best Actor - Miniseries Golden Globe for his role in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny in 1996, he was never nominated for an Oscar. And even until his sudden passing just weeks ago, he was constantly overlooked by the Academy. I think he deserved a Supporting Actor role for the part he played in Love Actually but what do I know.
To me, there are simply too many films that the director has made just so it can be nominated for an Academy Award. Of course, this is natural. Those who invest millions of dollars to make a blockbuster crave the attention so we are emphasised about their desired effort. But as these are the selected few, I wonder if the unsung heroes will ever get a mention, just like Leonardo DiCaprio eventually got?
The Academy Awards is currently a poor reflection of the huge film industry. And unfortunately this attitude of the same people up for the same lucrative awards, is a sorry trend across the media sector. In Public Relations, where I work, is exactly the same. Genuine and often widely publicised campaigns are often overlooked, as too are ambitious yet low key reporting scoops in the journalism world. Sadly, in this competitive world, it is often who you know rather than what you know that provides you with trophies in your cabinet.
This attitude can change if we collectively recognised this problem. The rest of the media sector could follow the lead of the UK TV industry where the National Television Awards (NTAs) for example provides the public with a longlist of actors and shows to vote for, and then have another chance to choose their favourites in the subsequent shortlist. We spend enough money for TV licence, cinema tickets and so on, the least we can do is choose our favourite film of the year. We are the primary target audience in order to get ultimate recognition - not so much the selected few, the supposed experts who vote for their buddies.
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