The Importance of The Oscar's Light From The Black Lens

In film, as in life, one’s point of view is decisive. Once the point of view is established, it provides the context for both characters and audiences. Point of view is what drops viewers into the world of the film, and makes it possible to learn something new. At a minimum, you learn something new about the world your ticket bought you. At best, you learn something new about yourself.

The power of art lies in this singular truth: there are infinite points of view.

The Achilles Heel of Hollywood has been a dangerously stubborn denial of that truth; an attachment to assigning greater value to some points of view than others. This attachment is a Petri dish for stereotype, tropes, and myopia. It can even lead to box office bombs and more loss than profit.

Allow me to share just two examples of this stubbornness. Hollywood has been obsessed with whitewashing Egypt on film, going as far back as The Ten Commandments (Charleston Heston as Moses) and Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor in the title role). In the 21st century, this obsession backfired—twice. Exodus: Gods and Kings had an entirely white primary cast of actors playing ancient Africans. The film Gods of Egypt took the same route, and just added some mythical robotic creatures. (Maybe this addition was supposed to be some kind of solve? Given tentpole production and release schedules, it’s doubtful). Both of these films tanked at the box office. Exodus faced boycotts and a royal social media dragging that resulted in the director apologizing for his regrettable casting choices. Gods of Egypt died a quiet death in American theaters, taking in just $31 million domestically. Production budget? $140 million. Global receipts pushed it over $150 million, allowing it to break even, but that level of spend to make and market the film was expected to return half a billion in receipts. Exodus: Gods and Kings fared better, pulling $65 million in the US, and $203 million worldwide at the same production budget of $140 million.

Still a huge underperformer.

Theses films’ narrow, jaundiced points of view were their fatal flaw. The most diverse American moviegoing audiences Hollywood has ever served as customers are no longer boxed into paying to be whitewashed at the movies. Plausibility still holds weight, even as they are asked to suspend disbelief. Beyond that, viewers can turn their gaze to platforms like Netflix, BET, The El Rey Network and Amazon, where multicultural points of view and experiences are not just represented, but celebrated in all their complexity.

The Academy got a taste of this when the #OscarsSoWhite controversy called out a deeply troubling lack of representation and diversity among its nominees in major categories for two consecutive years, 2015 and 2016. According to The Los Angeles Times, this prompted Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs to rewrite the membership rules. In a 2016 interview with them, she noted, “We've been a more than the predominantly white institution for a long time. We thought we've got to change this and reflect the community much better."

The Academy moved to double its numbers of members of color and women by 2020. Producers Reginald Hudlin and Stephanie Allain were key in the effort, with Hudlin being appointed to the Directors Branch and Allain to the Membership and Administration Committee. Rounding out the strident new black voices at the AMPAS table were producer Effie Brown (Museum Committee) and Vanessa Morrison, Fox President of Animation (Finance Committee). With respect to nominations, the results have been immediate from 2016 to 2017. There are much more black points of view being acknowledge for their cinematic excellence. Black points of view. For there are millions; as many points of view as there are stories and people to tell them. And though the Oscar race narrows it down to hundreds of eligible films, black actors, storytellers and filmmakers don’t have to settle for a token point of view or a token performance being up for Academy Awards this year.

In the major categories, we have a major improvement in the representation of African American creatives. Here is a partial list:

Actor in a Leading Role: Denzel Washington, Fences

Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Actress in a Leading Role: Ruth Negga, Loving

Actress in a supporting Role: Viola Davis, Fences; Naomie Harris, Moonlight;Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures

Best Picture: Fences, Hidden Figures, Moonlight

Best Cinematography: Arrival — Bradford Young

Best Adapted Screenplay: Fences — August Wilson, Moonlight  — Barry Jenkins

Directing: Moonlight — Barry Jenkins

Best Adapted Screenplay: Hidden Figures – while written by Caucasian woman screenwriter Allison Schroeder, its source material comes from by black author Margot Lee Shetterly

Best Editing: Moonlight-- co-editor Joi McMillon

Best Documentary Feature: Ezra Edelman, OJ: Made In America; Ava DuVernay, 13th; Raoul Peck, I Am Not Your Negro; Roger Ross Williams, Life, Animated

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These nominations speak so loudly. They echo the truth of differing points of view—not just in cinema, but between and among these black visionaries. Each is tackling widely varied material, from mass incarceration to alien occupation; from coming-of-age and entering the space age to living with autism. Black creatives bring their point of view to any and all subjects, not just topics that Hollywood has hypnotized both industry and audience into believing are “black”. Through their lenses as cinematographer, actor, director, or writer — they illuminate the human experience.

The Oscars even have African Americans competing against one another in two categories, which is as it should be. All of these performances and projects deserve this recognition and deserve the opportunity to compete for Academy Awards. The nomination alone places its recipients in an elite group that changes what can be commanded in fees and what level of work one can enjoy. This is how progress is made: by seating multiple points of view at the decision-making table. People with different backgrounds, experiences, and exposure at the AMPAS table have ushered in this change. This progress has the potential to signal change at the tables of studios.

From my point of view, this is no small thing.

Thembisa S. Mshaka is the author of Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business. She is also a filmmaker with her eye on Oscars in producing and directing. Follow her (and us!) on Twitter @PutYrDreams1st.