Academy Awards nominations set a new bar for diversity

World Today

The Academy Awards look very different this year. After two straight years of no non-white actor nominees, which set off the #OscarsSoWhite campaign last year, 2017 has set a new bar for diversity.

CGTN’s May Lee reports.

Seven non-white actors are nominated, tying a record set in 2007. The group includes Denzel Washington and Viola Davis for “Fences,” Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris for “Moonlight” and Dev Patel for “Lion.”

Although the musical “La La Land” garnered a record tying 14 Oscar nominations, nine non-white themed films and documentaries have also been nominated.

Industry experts credit the change in the makeup of the more than 6,000 member Academy following last year’s backlash. About 600 new voting members from diverse backgrounds in film were added were invited to join.

There is another controversy that’s likely to be front and center at the Oscars: politics. Already, this awards season has been very political charged.

President Trump’s travel ban has since been temporarily lifted, but he has promised to introduce a new executive order very soon. In the meantime, there are plenty of other hot button issues, the crackdown on undocumented immigrants for one, which will very likely be addressed by Oscar winners who know full well that the world will be watching.