Gina Prince-Bythewood Says ‘The Woman King’ Oscar Snub “Felt So Insidious & Large”

Unless you’re the lucky type of movie fan who can completely ignore awards season and just enjoy films without worrying about the behind-the-scenes drama that accompanies this time of year, you probably are well aware of the controversy surrounding the Best Actress nominees at this year’s Oscars. Andrea Riseborough earned a shocking nomination, while Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler were snubbed. But there were other snubs, including in Best Director, where some predicted that Gina Prince-Bythewood would earn a historic nomination for her work on “The Woman King.” Alas, that didn’t come to be, either. And finally, after tons of debate online and many thinkpieces written by pundits about the situation, Prince-Bythewood is speaking out. 

READ MORE: Academy Board of Governors Taking No Action Over Andrea Riseborough Controversy

In a very well-written essay over at THR, covering nearly every aspect of her exclusion from the Oscars this year, Gina Prince-Bythewood talks about her emotional response to not getting a nomination but mostly the fact that her film, with so many Black artists attached, wasn’t recognized, as were several other high-profile films from Women of Color. 

Prince-Bythewood starts by saying she’s obviously “disappointed” by the fact her film wasn’t recognized by the Academy. However, she wants to also point out that she had “already won,” when you take into consideration all of the success “The Woman King” has experienced.

“For any hater out there hoping to gaslight and say maybe we just weren’t good enough, you can’t argue the facts of our A+ Cinemascore — which only two other films achieved last year — or the 94 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, or the number of top 10 lists including AFI and National Board of Review,” she explained. “We’re going to pass $100 million at the global box office, which is groundbreaking and historic. Sales on VOD and DVD are great. So, our film made money and clearly had a cultural impact, which is what we all hoped for.”

READ MORE: ‘Till’ Filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu Blames “Unabashed Misogyny Towards Black Women” For Oscars Snub

Unfortunately, what she sees now, with the lack of nominations for Black women filmmakers and Black actresses, is a “very loud statement” from the Academy. 

“It’s not a snub. It’s a reflection of where the Academy stands and the consistent chasm between Black excellence and recognition,” the filmmaker said.

She goes on to explain that she has an issue with “social capital” being used by some to earn nominations, which is something Black filmmakers don’t have the luxury of experiencing. Prince-Bythewood also calls out the lack of Academy members attending “The Woman King” screenings and some having to be “dragged” to a screening just to watch it. 

“It’s a difficult thing to know, for every Black filmmaker and definitely every Black female filmmaker, that your work is not valued in the same way,” she concluded. “This is a systemic American problem, which is why this felt so insidious and large. It’s tough to enter something that’s supposed to be judged on merit, but you know it’s not a meritocracy.”

Obviously, over recent years, there have been some strides with inclusivity and diversity within the ranks of the Academy, as well as the nominations. That said, Gina Prince-Bythewood definitely feels that there is still plenty of room for growth and it’s necessary if the Academy wants to become the progressive organization it claims to be.