DEATH KNELL FOR RACISM IN MOVIES
THE Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced new rules for films that are nominated for the Oscar for the Best Picture. These rules stipulate that any film nominated for this prestigious award must meet certain levels of inclusivity and representativity for actors from underrepresented groups or deal with themes or narratives centred on under-represented groups.
The Academy’s new rules will come into operation in 2024. These rules for any film nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture stipulate that at “least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group; at least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from certain under-represented groups; or the main storyline, theme or narrative is centred on an underrepresented group”.
This approach is not new and follows the example set for certain categories at the Baftas to promote inclusivity and diversity.
Suddenly, with this change of rules, a whole host of issues come into play. Firstly, the notion of inclusivity and, secondly, the idea of artistic freedom.
With this new rule, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences makes a very powerful statement about its own history. The Academy and film industry have been criticised by critics and theorists, for the way in which they depicted people who do not belong to the white metanarrative. More recently, Rami Malek, who played Freddie Mercury and who plays the villain in the upcoming James Bond film, told the director of the Bond film that he refuses to act as a Muslim terrorist.
Put simply, films convey more messages, some overt and others subliminal, than just the story.
In analysing the whole body of films awarded the Oscar for Best Picture, Gone with the Wind is just one of an overwhelming collection of winners that tells us about the lives and loves of white people. From Rebecca to Mrs. Miniver to All About Eve and from Hamlet to A Man for All Seasons to The Godfather; it’s all about white people. You would be hardpressed to find more than a handful of films in the long history of the award for Best Picture that deals with the lives of people of colour.
And, even when you find these films, they are not depicted in a positive way or their stories are told by a white person. To be fair, the number of films that dealt with the lives of people of colour has increased significantly over the years from Slumdog Millionaire to Twelve Years A Slave to Moonlight to Parasite.
So, we may well ask: why would the Academy need to change the rules when there is a move away from just stories of white people? The short answer is that there just isn’t enough movement. In many ways, the Academy is apologising for not being self-critical enough over the years.
The desired effect of the rule is to promote inclusivity and diversity but how does this impact on artistic expression and artistic freedom?
Looking at the awards for Best Picture over the years you would find a few films dealing with the idea of an artist. Most recently, the Green Book dealt with the life of jazz pianist Don Shirley but it wasn’t so much because of his artistry but the relationship between him and his white driver.
Beyond this, you would not find another film dealing with an artist of colour. The Artist dealt with the black-and-white days of Hollywood and beyond that we have Shakespeare in Love, Amadeus and The Life of Emile Zola. These are just the winners for Best Picture but beyond that most of the films glorified the lives of white artists from Van Gogh (Anthony Quinn won the Oscar for best supporting actor in The Lust for Life) to Gauguin to Michelangelo to Constable. I can think of only two films about women artists; Claudine Claudel and only one about an artist of colour; Frida Kahlo. Frida won two Oscars for make-up and musical score.
In Hollywood films, they use a “white” idea of an artist and a “white” interpretation of artistic freedom. They push the idea of an artist as being a white male and it is his freedom that was being protected at all costs.
I’m looking forward to the 2024 nominations for Best Picture to see how artists use this new space.