Minority Films Excluded from Oscars

Following the 2010 Oscars, many hoped that the awards ceremony had finally outgrown its bigotry. At the 2010 Oscars, Kathryn Bigelow won the very first award for a female director and Geoffrey Fletcher took home the first award ever been won by an African-American screenwriter.

This year, the Award ceremony reverted to its tight-lipped conservative mien.  Conversely, Sundance featured a significant number of minority movies this year. Ava DuVernay – founder of the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement has jokingly called the Independent Film Festival “Blackdance” due to its parade of minority films this year.

Sundance proves that quality minority films are being produced but not by the studios.  Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, Martha Lauzen explains: “The film industry does not exist in a vacuum; it is part of a larger culture, and our attitudes about gender and race are extremely deeply held. Those attitudes don’t change overnight or with an Oscar win.”

For African-Americans, it’s a matter of timing and a more systemic issue, said Gregg Kilday, film editor for The Hollywood Reporter. “It is still difficult for black filmmakers to do movies about black film matter… serious African-American movies are probably even harder to get financed.” Jeff Friday – Chief Executive Officer of Film Life and founder of the American Black Film Festival asks: “We have to challenge the studio system,” Friday said. “Why are studios not making films that represent the people of this country?”