Like David Oyelowo’s stunning performance in “Selma” last year, there have been stars, filmmakers, and movies predominantly featuring people of color that have been completely shunned when it comes to awards season. This year, the controversy reached new heights, spawning the rightfully unavoidable hashtag campaign #OscarsSoWhite, recruiting those against racial discrimination to avoid the telecast and boycott the show altogether.
READ MORE: Consider This: Is #OscarsSoWhite A Symptom Of Movies Losing (Even More) Ground To TV?
The folks at Fandor have created a video essay highlighting some of the outstanding performances robbed of accolades this year, including a nod for Jason Mitchell in “Straight Outta Compton” as Easy-E, and the film itself for Best Picture. Though the film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Mitchell’s turn as the rapper, and the film, which was one of the highest grossing of 2015 (in the top 20, domestically), should have definitely been recognized.
Ryan Coogler’s “Creed,” a decades-later sequel to the “Rocky” franchise received a Best Supporting Actor nod for Sylvester Stallone, but the director and star Michael B. Jordan (who is notoriously terrific in any role he plays) were left out.
For a look at a few other should-have-been nominees who eluded the Academy, take a look at the video below, and let us know what other performances they missed out on in the comments.
I agree with the second half of this video.
If you\’re not black, you can\’t complain about inequality, and no one cares about you.
So there are only white and black people in Hollywood?
What about Benicio del Toro in Sicario?
Come on, this is hardly a "video essay." It\’s a glorified super-cut.
Great stuff, hope they keep it coming, actors of color clearly need their brilliance sign posted for those afflicted with tunnel vision. The Oscars have fallen by the way side, it\’ll come and go and soon be forgotten, but the explosion around diversity is one for the cultural history books.