‘Till’ Filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu Blames “Unabashed Misogyny Towards Black Women” For Oscars Snub

Every year, there are “snubs” discussed after the Academy announces the Oscar nominations. Most of the time, these snubs happen when there are just so many talented people and only five slots to recognize them. Sometimes, the lack of diversity and inclusivity gets brought up, as has already been done this year with the all-male Best Director category. However, there’s one film that was snubbed by the Academy this year that has really struck a nerve with the filmmaker behind the project. The filmmaker in question is Chinonye Chukwu, the writer-director of the acclaimed drama, “Till,” which was noticeably left out of the Oscar nominations this year.

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After the nominations for the 2023 Oscars were announced, Chinonye Chukwu took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the news that her film, “Till,” was snubbed in multiple categories. Before the noms were revealed, many people assumed “Till” would get some love, perhaps in categories such as Best Picture or Best Actress. The latter of which was almost seen as a given, considering the love actress Danielle Deadwyler has been receiving all awards season. However, there were zero nominations, and Chukwu has an idea why.

“We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women,” Chukwu wrote.

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“And yet,” she added, “I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life – regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance.”

Obviously, Chukwu isn’t the only person to notice that Deadwyler was not recognized, especially considering how there are no Black people in either Best Actor or Best Actress categories. (Brian Tyree Henry and Angela Bassett earned noms for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, however.) That said, outside of Deadwyler’s snub, there aren’t many people who were thinking “Till” was a favorite to earn nominations in many other categories. 

Regardless, “Till” is still a near-universally acclaimed film, with an astounding 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. And it’s a film that could have probably benefitted from the extra promotion that Oscar nominations do guarantee, as “Till” tells a heartbreaking, but important story about Emmet Till and his mother’s, Mamie Till Mobley (Deadwyler), pursuit of justice. In that sense, it’s a shame the film didn’t get recognition.

Even without the nominations, now would be a great time to watch “Till,” which is available on VOD.