Regina King? Shaka King? Spike Lee? George C. Wolfe?
All three Black directors were in contention for an Oscar nomination this year. But they struck out.
Their films, “One Night in Miami,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” all scored many awards and nominations throughout the season. But except for “Judas,” none made it into the Best Picture category and none of the directors got to the final round.
This will come as a shock considering the Motion Picture Academy has widened and deepened, adding many more diverse members over the last couple of years. Two women, Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennell, made the cut, which is progress, but lack of standing for African Americans remains a huge frustration.
In the acting categories, there were also some snubs considering the huge field of Black actors from which to choose especially in supporting. But two Black actresses in Best Actress is good news, and three Best Supporting actors. So it’s not a Black Out, or Oscars So White, but progress is incremental at best.
