The 2017 Oscar nominations were announced Tuesday morning, and it was immediately clear that after last year’s #OscarsSoWhite fiasco, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had gone out of its way to improve diversity in the acting categories.
But a number of activists are already suggesting that it’s is just tokenism.
Black actors have been nominated in every acting category, and seven out of the 20 available nods went to performers of color. Three non-white filmmakers were nominated, and several Best Picture nominees feature diverse ensemble casts. Joi McMillan became the first black woman to be nominated as a film editor for her work on Moonlight.
The previous two years, minority actors, directors and ensemble films were completely shut out.
But while the change is welcome, a number of social justice activists are predicting that the effect of last year’s #OscarsSoWhite boycott—led by big names like Will Smith and Spike Lee —will be short-lived. They’re already forecasting that next year, the Oscars—and the Academy—will be back to rewarding its mostly white membership.
Some activists say that despite the huge changes this year, it’s still not enough.
