Academy president ‘disappointed’ by lack of diversity in Oscar noms

This year’s Oscar nominations have been announced and The Revenant is already a favourite with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

“The Revenant” took home the best drama film prize at last Sunday’s Golden Globes, while Inarritu was named best director and Leonardo DiCaprio won for best actor in a drama.

Mr. DiCaprio enters the best actor race as the odds-on favorite alongside Bryan Cranston from “Trumbo“, Matt Damon in “The Martian“, Michael Fassbender as “Steve Jobs” and Eddie Redmayne, “The Danish Girl“.

In addition to Cate Blanchett, she’s up against Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling and Saoirse Ronan. George Miller’s latest “Mad Max” installment, with 10 nominations including best picture and best director, appeared as the familiar commercial hit driven by an auteur’s vision-a slot filled in the past by “Gravity” and “Life of Pi”.

The nominees for best director are Iñárritu (“The Revenant“), McCarthy (“Spotlight“), Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road“), Adam McKay (“The Big Short“) and Lenny Abrahamson (“Room“). A year after coming under withering criticism over a lack of diversity, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences again fielded an all-white group of 20 acting nominees, restoring the trending hashtag “OscarsSoWhite” to prominence.

It wasn’t to be: This crop of eight best-picture nominees, while an eclectic mix, fits comfortably into the pattern of Academy Awards past.

Actresses Rooney Mara (“Carol“), Jennifer Jason Leigh (“The Hateful Eight“), Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl“), Kate Winslet (“Steve Jobs“) and Rachel McAdams (“Spotlight“) will be seen competing against each other for the Actress in a Supporting Role award. Just remember: The Oscars are never about which movies make you feel good. After Keaton also failed to win best actor at the Oscars previous year, it’s starting to look like a pattern.

Also nominated for best supporting actor were Mark Rylance, best known for his stage work, for “Bridge of Spies” and Christian Bale (“The Big Short“).

Few actors (if any) are more consistent and versatile than DiCaprio, yet over the course of his career, the Oscar has eluded him.

Some were outraged that Sylvester Stallone – widely seen as a sentimental favorite – was nominated for best supporting actor for “Creed” instead of Jordan. African-American films, including Straight Outta Compton, Concussion and Beasts of No Nation were largely passed on, though Compton received a nomination for its all-white Original Screenplay team.

Star Warring. Those loyal to the Resistance might be upset that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” didn’t get a best picture nomination. And could the snub help “Martian’s” chances for best picture _ the it’s-been-victimized, now-let’s-find-another-way-to-honor-it logic that boosted “Argo” all the way to the podium three years ago?

“The Martian” director Ridley Scott was overlooked, as was “Carol” director Todd Haynes.

Hollywood loves a sequel, but on Thursday it was an unwelcome one when people of colour were shut out of all the Oscar acting races. The film’s nomination for best picture is Spielberg’s ninth in that category, the most for any individual producer.