Going into this year’s Oscars, everyone was wondering how the Academy would handle the recent controversies surrounding some of the biggest male names in Hollywood and the lack of representation seen in front of the camera and behind the scenes. While acceptance speeches made mention of the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements, the Oscars went a bit further, with one segment devoted to the progress made recently regarding these issues.
Presented by Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek, and Annabella Sciorra, a three-minute video segment was shown, featuring filmmakers such as Dee Rees, Lee Daniels, Ava DuVernay, and Greta Gerwig. Dee Rees says, “We have been in denial about the things at work. This moment is exposing the hypocrisy.”
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“All the movies I loved were directed by men. It almost seemed like a prerequisite,” continued Greta Gerwig.
The montage had clips from films that showed just how powerful movies from diverse filmmakers could be, including scenes from “Lady Bird,” “Wonder Woman,” “Get Out,” and “Black Panther.” Filmmaker Barry Jenkins talked about the joy women felt when they saw “Wonder Woman,” and how that same joy will continue with “Black Panther.”
Conspicuously missing from the interviews in the montage was any mention of the sexual harassment and sexual assault stories that have come to light recently. While the filmmakers in the video discussed representation at great length, there was no mention of the hardships that women have gone through because of the systemic abuse in Hollywood.
Perhaps, the Academy was keen on keeping with a positive tone for the evening, and felt that discussing those issues might be a bit difficult. Unfortunately, with all the great words from these amazing filmmakers, there was just a glaring omission that many people will, no doubt, notice.