The Importance Of Diversity In Film

This year’s Oscar nominees caused an uproar in the African American community due to the lack of color representation. Of course the Black films that did earn a spot on the nomination chart didn’t grant the award or nomination to the people of color involved with the film. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg, for a little over a century, black characters have been Whitewashed, portrayed via Blackface, stereotyped, or exploited in the film industry. While there have been ups and downs in progress, Black representation in the film and media industry is still a recurring problem. There are outstanding individuals who succeed at combating these tribulations, however there’s still an overwhelming majority that has yet to thoroughly recognize,

It’s not entirely impossible to implement diversity into cinema, the first step is to start behind the scenes. Director, Ava DuVernay has openly spoken and tweeted about how easy it is to be diverse if you step out and include people from different backgrounds. Shonda Rhimes’ Grey’s Anatomy is living proof that diversity and balance can be achieved, she has a diverse main cast along with a diverse team of members working behind the scenes and in the production of her show. An event, like the Oscars, holds so much importance and value in Hollywood that it seems like a step backward in progress towards this development of diversity. Syracuse University’s very own, Professor Kyle Bass, who is well versed in African American theater, had this to say about these diversity problems in cinema, “There’s steps forward, there’s steps back, but we’re evolving.” There are successes and steps being made on behalf of the African American community to promote and stimulate this need for diversity and accurate representation in film. American Black Film Festival and BET teamed up in February to celebrate Black film and award and recognize those who were snubbed in the Oscars. Founder and CEO of ABFF said, “Twenty years ago, I created the American Black Film Festival to spotlight the rich diversity of talent and achievement. It was born out of my love for film and desire to ensure that Black people gained opportunity and equity in every arena of Hollywood. I am truly honored to partner with BET to showcase the work of our most talented artists.” These are steps and efforts that are created to uplift and propel the Black cinematic community forward, despite certain