Who Picks the Oscars? White Men.

[Starry Messenger]

http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/02/who_picks_the_oscars_94_of_academy_voters_are_white_77_male.html

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that votes for the Oscars, is nearly 94 percent white and 77 percent male, according to a Los Angeles Times study published Sunday. Blacks are about 2 percent of the academy, and Latinos are less than 2 percent.

In some sub-branches the racial disparities are even higher. The executives and writers groups, for example, are 98 percent white. And all of this year’s five nominated directors are white men, and none of the 21 producers of the nine best picture nominees is a person of color.

The Times spent several months investigating who was part of the closely guarded and secret roster list of academy voters. Times reporters confirmed the identities of more than 5,100 Oscar voters — more than 89 percent of all active voting members — and found that they are mostly white, male and have a median age of 62.

<snip>

“I don’t see any reason why the academy should represent the entire American population. That’s what the People’s Choice Awards are for,” Frank Pierson, a former academy president who won an Oscar for original screenplay for “Dog Day Afternoon” in 1976, and who still serves on the board of governors, told the Times.

“We represent the professional filmmakers, and if that doesn’t reflect the general population, so be it,” Pierson said.

Pierson gets the Oscar for Most Clueless Comment.

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Narcissistic Fibrosis on parade n/t

[msongs]

2. the music industry does not have this problem because the creative base is more diverse so

maybe if more black people made more movies and joined the academy, the percentages would go up. it's just a numbers game IMO.

[Starry Messenger]

3. From the article:

There are three ways to become a candidate for membership in the academy: land an Oscar nomination; apply and receive a recommendation from two members of a branch; or earn an endorsement from the branch’s membership committee or the academy staff.

The membership committees then vote on the candidates and those who get a majority are invited to join.

(If the academy wanted to, they could endorse people like “Pariah” director Dee Rees—even though she’s never been nominated for an Oscar and has only directed one film—her work has been honored at dozens of film festivals, awards ceremonies and has been financially successful.)

The present Academy members could endorse and promote the Black filmmakers who are already working in the industry, there would be more visibility and promotion in the Academy and also in the industry if the will was there to do so.

Hollywood's attitude toward Black filmmaking also contribute to the lopsided racial bias:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/movies/11seym.html?pagewanted=all

Momentum for African-American cinema, it would seem, has been curtailed or at least stalled in part by studio executives’ preconceptions that black films are “niche product” with limited appeal.

Pariah's director Dee Ree's on trying to get her film made:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/dee-rees-pariah-hollywood-race-problem-black-actors_n_1190478.html

Dee Rees, the director of "Pariah," a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story that focuses on a black lesbian's experiences coming out in New York City, knows the story too well. In an interview with Colorlines, the writer-director said those very words ("black," "lesbian," "coming of age&quot were often enough to immediately stop film studios and backers from participating.

"We'd go to pitch meetings and the moment we said 'black, lesbian, coming of age,' they would turn around, validate our parking and hand us a bottle of water," she confessed in the interview.

[msongs]

4. more people leads to a critical mass which leads to changes. money from ticket sales talk loudest nt

[Starry Messenger]

7. It's hard to earn money for your films if they aren't getting made.

And if made, not getting shown and distributed widely. I'd much rather films like Pariah were on 10 screens here in the Bay Area and trash like 3-D Monster Smash Part 2, Loud Noises only got one little theater. But it isn't. People need access to films in order to buy tickets.

[kiss mah grits]

14. The Black community as a whole

has to support Black art films and not more buffoonery.

[Starry Messenger]

15. Sorry Jury, I should have checked to see if they were MIRT'd already. They are.

I wish they could find a way to block you, even when you get PPR'd, your comments linger.

[obamanut2012]

6. Exactly!

It's the same reason women are so scare in thw Academy and DGA (Directors). Old Boys' Club.

[obamanut2012]

5. They also skew older and straight, too

Which is why Brokeback Mountain and Heath Ledger didn't win, and why Viola Davis didn't win last night.

[Starry Messenger]

8. Brokeback Mountain not winning still kills me.

I think I mentally blocked out what movie won that year. And, I like Meryl Streep, but maybe there should be a lifetime cap on Oscars? lol. It reminds me of the Duchess in Downton Abbey who wins the rose contest every year. Viola Davis looked so fabulous last night too.

[MADem]

9. She's been nominated 17 times, but this was only her 3rd.

I was hoping for another winner, myself, but what will be will be.

The film that won that year was an ensemble piece entitled CRASH. It was heavily shopped on billboards, in the trades, and personally to the Academy members, mainly BECAUSE it was an ensemble piece--it gave the Academy an opportunity to provide some recognition to a large cast of actors.

What's needed is more female and non-white writers, directors, producers, etc. to be allowed into the process to be able to compete for awards. It will be awhile before the Motion Picture Academy starts to resemble reality, I believe. However, the trend, though glacial in pace, is inching, painfully and steadily, towards more diversity, not less. Every winner becomes an Academy member and gets a chance to cast their votes for who comes next.

[Starry Messenger]

10. It *was* Crash, I was afraid of that.

Now I have to remember that all over again.

[BeyondGeography]

11. Pretty sad

[Rex]

12. Yes it is.

nt

[kiss mah grits]

13. Poor you...

(Get off the pity pot. You are not the eternal victim!)

[Rex]

16. 17 post...you got pretty far for a troll.