“Straight Outta Compton” Producer Calls Oscar Nominations “Embarrassing”

It’s just one of numerous movies featuring a majority black cast that was snubbed by the Oscars and thus prompting the #‎OscarsSoWhite hashtag going around on social media.

The film – a biopic of hip hop group N.W.A – was widely praised by critics and had been expected to sweep the board when the nominations for the Academy Awards were announced this week.

Even though Straight Outta Compton screenwriters Andrea Berloff and Jon Herman got a Best Screenplay nomination, they are noticeably some of the few people involved with the movie who are white.

Meanwhile, the movies nominated for Best Picture by the Academy include “The Big Short”, “Bridge Of Spies”, “Brookyln”, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “The Martian”, “The Revenant”, “Room” and “Spotlight”. Period”, he wrote. “The reason the rest of the world looks at us like we have no clue is because in 2016 it’s a complete embarrassment to say that the heights of cinematic achievement have only been reached by white people.

Chris Rock, who is set to host the February 28 awards show, called the Oscars the “white BET awards” and Jada Pinkett Smith said people of color are “rarely recognized” for their artistic accomplishments. You know, I’m not surprised. “It’s a movie for the people, and the people accept it”.

The critically acclaimed “Straight Outta Compton” was a box-office smash, taking in $134.1 million in its first three weeks alone.

But while Will Packer was admittedly furious about the lack of nominations for Straight Outta Compton, he made it clear that he has high hopes for drastically improving the Oscar ceremony and making it “feel as inclusionary as possible”. In doing so, he highlighted some of this year’s black actors and filmmakers who weren’t nominated-Ryan Coogler, Idris Elba, and Audra McDonald. Strides have definitely been made.