A year after being criticised for “whitewashing” the Oscar Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences seems to have learned their lesson. Not only was the list of this year’s nominees more diverse than previous years, winners, too, included films such as Moonlight, Fences and Hidden Figures, that featured themes such as diversity in race and sexuality.
This — from a country that has seen a rise in the number of reported incidents of discrimination in terms of race, religion, gender, sexuality and more — shows how movies can play a role in shaping and influencing society, by making it inclusive for all.
Filmmaker Mani Shankar believes that most of Hollywood has always been vocally opposing of current US President Donald Trump’s divisive policies. “They’re exerting a counter-balancing force against racism, and you’ll see a lot more of this across liberal America. However, they can’t change the rhetoric — that comes from die hard minds that are closed, and it cannot be opened by propaganda.
“But it (the movie industry) will make itself heard and send out a message to the rest of the world that America is not about racism, and that is a beautiful thing,” he says.
Anand Gandhi, director
Awards are a way for communities to respond to conversations that they find are most relevant. Cinema is a way of sharing approaches, insights and world views of life. The awards are the communities’ way of responding with reassurance. The community responds to what it thinks is most urgent and relevant. Within that framework, it sees how eloquently cinema is sharing insights. Whether it’s Indian mainstream awards ignoring relevant films, or the Academy Awards struggling to be inclusive, it gives a glimpse into the mindset of the people.
Nila Madhab Panda, filmmaker
You don’t watch films that talk about diversity for entertainment. They give us a deep-rooted understanding of the social fabric, even if they are stories of personal lives of a few Americans. Such films have great impact on the audiences’ minds. When I went to various film festivals after Slumdog Millionaire had won several Academy Awards, people weren’t asking me about A.R. Rahman or the Indian actors, they were concerned about the welfare of Indian children. Such films evoke conscience. From a cinematic aspect, I loved Moonlight for its spectacular cinematography, its ability to stay true to the story and stunning performances.
Ramesh Arvind, actor-director
We should celebrate diversity in every possible form, not just in cinema. The more we celebrate diversity, the more it celebrates every angle of human life, and the more it represents the globe. Being inclusive in every form and day-to-day affairs is very important. Of course, cinema being the magical form it is, certainly plays a major role and effectively reaches larger audiences. Such movies making it big at the Oscars definitely underlines the cause.
Vikramaditya Motwane, director
The fact that Moonlight won the Oscar shows that it is a win for diversity. The cynic in me wonders if this is a reaction to last year (when the Academy Awards had all-white nominations for two years in a row). Moonlight takes a difficult and unusual story and portrays it in a very personal way. I think that’s what sets it apart.
Hidden Figures also has a great storyline. We also did something similar with Dangal. Both are stories of unsung heroes. It’s amazing that these stories are now being told in B’wood. If this keeps going on, there will soon come a time when we will be at par with Hollywood.
