By Chelsea Ashley
The Academy has come a long way since the #OscarsSoWhite catastrophe in 2016. Three years ago, the dominant conversation was about the lack of representation in the nominations. Since the January announcement of the 2019 Oscar nominations, the buzz has taken a positive spin.
This year, films featuring and exploring the lives of people of color garnered more than 30 nominations. Twenty-two of these nominations were movies that illustrate the lives of African-American, African and Afro-Latino characters, ranging from a boy from Brooklyn who develops spider-like abilities to a Black police officer who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan.
We can applaud the Academy for finally nominating films that show black people as something other than slaves, but it’s still necessary to understand the position these films play outside of just being nominated “Black movies.”
Deemed as the “controversial contender” by critics and film lovers, “Green Book” tells the true story of Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a world-class black pianist and his tour of the Deep South in 1962 alongside his initially racist driver and bodyguard, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen). The film follows the two as they grow closer while navigating the roads and racism of the South.
Ali and Mortensen were nominated for Actor in a Supporting Role and Actor in a Leading Role, respectively. The film also garnered a Best Picture nomination, but its likelihood of receiving that award is slim due to the controversy surrounding the socially conscious feel-good film.
According to Shirley’s family, the film’s depiction of him and his relationship with Lip is inaccurate. Shirley never wanted a film about his life, and if anyone was to tell the story it would be family-friend Joe Astor, not by Lip’s son, Nick Vallelonga. Vallelonga claims that Dr. Shirley told him not to speak to anyone while writing the story, which garnered him a nomination for Writing (Original Screenplay).
“BlacKkKlansman,” depicts the true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the first black detective of the Colorado Springs police department. And ironically, the first black member of the Ku Klux Klan.
The film explores the consequences of being an African-American through Stallworth’s eyes, and of being an ally to the African American community through Stallworth’s partner in the undercover investigation, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver).
Driver’s performance gained him a nomination for Actor in a Supporting Role, alongside Spike Lee’s first-ever Oscar nomination for Best Director. The phrase “better late than never” can be attributed to Lee’s nomination, as he has been a revolutionary leader for the black film community for years with films like “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcolm X” and “School Daze.”
“Black Panther” became the surprise megahit of 2018 making more than a billion dollars in the box office. Its initial release was met with admiration for its strong depiction of Black people – both male and female as we were introduced to the African utopia of Wakanda.
The forces of African American director Ryan Coogler and the music of Kendrick Lamar, who led the soundtrack for the movie came together to make an inspirational and compelling film. The uniqueness of the production is that it can’t be put into the standard box of a “superhero film,” even though it is the first-ever movie in that genre to be nominated for Best Picture.
The film’s success and critical acclaim proves that when you give Black people the resources and space to create art that allows them to see powerful and exciting versions of themselves on-screen. “Black Panther” expanded the story of a superhero prince-turned-king into a story that the Black Diaspora can be proud of – proof that African Americans and Africans can create and star in blockbuster films.
No one can be sure if “Black Panther” will win any awards, but we can be sure it has changed the way the world sees Black superheroes.
Overall, the Oscars have come a long way since Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Oscar, had to accept her award in a segregated hotel. These films, along with the other “Black films” nominated can be seen as the dreams of Hattie and many other Black filmmakers and viewers. However, just as “BlacKkKlansman” showed us, the work is never over. But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate these amazing films and how far we have come.