Once again, lack of diversity bemoaned in Oscar slate

“Wow, the acting categories are VERY white this year”. This is despite well-received movies such as Creed, Concussion, Straight Outta Compton and Beasts of No Nation receiving nominations in other awards this year.

On the eve of the 2015 awards season, Chris Rock, who will be hosting the 2016 Oscars, wrote an eye opening op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter on the lack of diversity in the industry. “In the last two years”, she said, “we’ve made greater strides than we ever have in the past toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization through admitting new members and more inclusive classes of members”.

The Academy Award nominations are in. Additionally, Creed director Ryan Coogler did not crack the mostly white pool of nominees.

The only note of diversity in the lead categories is Mexican director Alejandro G. Inarritu for “The Revenant”.

The best actress list includes perennial favorite Cate Blanchett, whose acting nomination for “Carol” is her seventh.

When movies driven by black actors and directors were nominated this time around, it was for the work of their white colleagues.

The 88 annual Academy Awards ceremony takes place at 7 p.m. Eastern time on February 28 and will be televised live on ABC.

This certainly isn’t the conversation The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would like us to be having this morning. So who was overlooked? Naming Cheryl Boone Isaacs, an African-American marketing executive, as its president was a good step. Films directed by blacks, Asian-Americans and Hispanics included “Straight Outta Compton”, “Creed”, “Beasts of No Nation”, “The Revenant” and “Chi-raq”.

What gives me hope is that we’ve arrived at a point in which the problem is obvious and the response is immediately loud. You just keep moving along.

Also, some might argue that the old, Caucasian Academy members don’t know the band members of N.W.A., so how could they nominate those actors?

I was happy to see Ex Machina get one of its few nominations for Original Screenplay (it also got a Visual Effects nod).

OK, this year we can’t say the academy’s noses are so high in the air they can’t smell an obvious contender. Additionally, LGBT films Dallas Buyers Club and Philomena were up for the top prizes.

Lynsey: And no love for Star Wars or J.J. Abrams in Best Picture/Directing?

And once again the acting categories were filled entirely by white performers. However, some groups, like Color of Change, do not think it’s enough. Movie writer and social-media gadfly Jeff Wells immediately complained on Twitter that “Racial quotas are bullshit”. “There is no reason to believe that the people who keep the power structure going have any vested interest in seeing something different”.