The Oscar nominations, announced on January 23, have once again stirred controversy. Naturally, with the sheer number of amazing films produced in 2023, certain films did not receive the accolades they likely deserved. However, when several female stars fail to receive nominations for blockbuster movies, one starts to get suspicious.
The “Barbie” movie’s fanbase erupted when the director, Greta Gerwig, and the lead actress, Margot Robbie, were not nominated for the Best Director and Best Actress category. For a film that expanded outside the movie theater to become a cultural phenomenon, this was surprising, to say the least. It wasn’t just Barbie that received an infamous snub– “Origin,” an Ava DuVernay-directed film lauded for its unique approach to portraying modern-day caste systems, did not receive any nominations. “The Color Purple,” directed by Ghanaian filmmaker Blitz Bazawule, only received one nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
While Margot Robbie wasn’t nominated for her role as Barbie, Ryan Gosling was nominated for his role as Ken, a move which is comically ironic considering the theme of the actual film. To his credit, Gosling did release a statement expressing his disappointment that Gerwig and Robbie did not receive nominations. America Ferrera, nominated as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gloria in “Barbie,” also voiced her concern about the snubs.
As I said before, there is only so much room within each Oscar nomination categories, and members of the Academy are bound to have to make some tough decisions. Nevertheless, the 2023 nominations are part of a longstanding pattern of the Oscars: ignoring female directors, screenwriters, and more, especially when they are people of color. Take this example: this year, it was speculated through online platforms that Justine Triet (a female nominee for best director) “took Greta Gerwig’s spot”– the mere thought that there is just one spot reserved for a female director to maintain the appearance of diversity proves that the Oscars have a long way to go in terms of making the Academy less white, male, and straight.
In the history of the Oscars, there have been only eight female directors nominated for best director, and only three of them won: Jane Campion, Chloé Zhao, and Kathryn Bigelow. Zhao is the only woman of color to have been nominated for Best Director.
Additionally, according to Sky News, the average age of a male actor Oscar-winner is 47, while the average age of a female actress Oscar-winner is 39. This further proves that women in Hollywood tend to be prized for their youth, and once they show signs of aging, the number of roles available to them decreases dramatically.
On a more positive note, the Oscars have started diversifying. “Parasite” became the first non-English film to win Best Picture, and the LGBTQ+ film Moonlight won Best Picture in 2017. Even so, the Academy needs to do better. Filmmaking and all other art forms are built off of diversity, and it’s time for the Awards to recognize that too. In the words of Vulture writer Jen Chaney, “Hollywood is still one big mojo dojo casa house” – it’s time for a change, don’t you think?