Sept. 20, 2023

Breaking the Colour Barrier

Prominent director Ava DuVernay made history by becoming the first African American woman to compete in the Venice Film Festival, across its 91-year history. Whilst it calls for celebration, her history-making nomination equally opens up important conversations about Hollywood and its longstanding racial biases. By: Theng Min Yee

As Ava DuVernay’s Origin (2023) makes its premiere in the Venice Film Festival, she spoke of her experience as a Black filmmaker in the industry. “This is something that we are often told: you cannot play international film festivals, no one will come.” Her candid statements are revealing of the barriers to entry that Black creatives face in the film industry, which was hotly debated in the firestorm of #OscarsSoWhite.

Eight years ago, the trending Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite drew attention to inequality in Hollywood, but more specifically, the lack of representation of people of colour in international film circles and awards. Since then, the president of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Issacs, released an official statement: “In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.” But has change really been enacted in the film industry?

Who Calls the Shots?

When it comes to decision making, the Hollywood roundtable traditionally consisted of White creatives – an exclusive space that ethnic minorities found hard to enter. Across the different ethnicities, Black creatives seem to be getting the short end of the stick. Screen, a news outlet for films and TV, conducted a 2021 research which found that Black directors made up only 1% of competition films at major festivals.

Jeff Wray, a film studies professor, and professional filmmaker comments on this exclusivity, speaking from his personal experience. “When I was growing up and developing my interest in film, I would sometimes see film crews. These crews were always made up of white men. For someone like me — Black and from a small Midwest town — to see that was a bit deflating,” he recounts.

The lack of representation in decision-making and leadership spaces means fewer alternative voices, as well as a linear creative direction that mostly depicts the perspective of the majority. This lack in diversity means that lesser works from Black creators, filmmakers, and producers get to hit the screens, and of course, lesser recognition for those works on the international stage.  

Wray also pointed out the fear of a limited audience pool for films headed by Black creatives, stating, “Hollywood’s decision-makers seem mostly afraid of Black movies, which suggests that movies made by Black creatives with Black actors can’t be applied beyond a Black audience.” Though concerns about a niche audience have led to more roadblocks, the success of films powered by Black creatives are proving that those fears are, for the most part, unfounded. Box office hits like Black Panther, which raked up a staggering $700 million, show that audiences crave diversity and representation in films.

Tides of Change

With the #OscarsSoWhite debacle leading to high-profile celebrities boycotting awards, online frenzy, and several pledges by international film award committees to revise their internal systems, it is a sobering moment for the industry. Several significant strides were made, including Daniel Kaluuya becoming the first Black British actor to win an acting Oscar, as well as Moonlight (2016) and Get Out (2017) bagging Academy Awards for Best Writing. Research efforts at USC revealed that since the viral hashtag ignited a firestorm, the number of nominees of colour has grown to 17%.

However, the industry’s efforts at representation has not been without setbacks. The year 2019 saw the Oscars awarding Green Book (2018) the highest honour of the night, in spite of its problematic depiction of race relations, which The New York Times described as “crude, obvious and borderline offensive.” Many industry members of colour, such as Jordan Peele, refused to applaud the win.

Though Hollywood is far from levelling the playing field for creatives of different ethnicities, the diversity quest has seen several wins, with the committee of prominent film festivals extending decisive roles to more people of colour. In 2020, the Academy announced that they have tripled their members of colour from 554 to 1,787. DuVernay’s spot in the prestigious awards is testament to the industry’s slow but steady changes. Speaking to media, she said, “And this year, something happened that hadn’t happened in eight decades before: an African American woman in competition. So now that’s a door open that I trust and hope the festival will keep open.”

To never miss a story — sign up for Viral Weekly free newsletter to stay up-to-date with compelling TV and Film news and views.

 

Back to Listing

---