Oscars Receive Backlash For Ignoring Actors Of Colour

The Oscars, the most prestigious award for movie actors, has received series of backlash for ignoring actors of colour.


Gruelling revenge movie “The Revenant” emerged as Oscars front-runner on Thursday in nominations that pit big-budget movies against small personal dramas and once again shut actors of colour out of the industry’s biggest honours.

The hash tag #OscarsSoWhite, was quickly revived on Twitter.

It had emerged last year, when only white actors received nods.

Will Smith, who stars in football injury drama “Concussion”, and Idris Elba from “Beasts of No Nation”, were among the black actors who were not nominated this year.

The black cast and director of hip hop biopic “Straight Outta Compton”, were also left out of the race.

“In a year with an extraordinary number of great performances by black actors that were embraced by audiences and embraced by critics, for them all to get ignored is tragic,” said Reginald Hudlin, who will produce the Feb. 28 awards ceremony hosted by comedian Chris Rock.

“The Revenant,” an ambitious pioneer-era saga, led with 12 nominations, including best picture, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best director for Mexico’s Alejandro Inarritu, who won the top Oscar last year for the dark showbiz comedy “Birdman.”

“The Revenant” will compete with gritty action adventure “Mad Max: Fury Road” and space film “The Martian.” All three boast budgets above $100 million.


The best picture nominees also include independent films “Room,” “Spotlight” and “Brooklyn” as well as studio productions “The Big Short” and “Bridge of Spies,” which had budgets in the $20 million to $40 million range.

Amid the excitement from nominees, others in Hollywood were nursing their wounds.

“Straight Outta Compton” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” were left out of the best picture race, while Ridley Scott, director of best picture nominee “The Martian,” did not make the grade in the director category.

Here's the complete list for the 88th Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spot


BEST ACTOR
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl




BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn




BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed




BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs




DIRECTING
Adam McKay - The Big Short
George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson - Room
Tom McCarthy - Spotlight




ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There




COSTUME DESIGN
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant




DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire




DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Body Team
Chau, Beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom




MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant




ORIGINAL SONG
"Earned It" - Fifty Shades of Grey
"Manta Ray" - Racing Extinction
"Simple Song #3" - Youth
"Til It Happens to You" - The Hunting Ground
"Writing's on the Wall" - Spectre




ANIMATED SHORT
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay's Super Team
We Can't Live Without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow




SOUND EDITING
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
The Revenant




FILM EDITING
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens




FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Embrace of the Serpent
Mustang
Son of Saul
Theeb
A War




ORIGINAL SCORE
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens




PRODUCTION DESIGN
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant




VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens




ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room




ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton




BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario
(NAN)