2023’s Oscar nominations fail to make meaningful progress

No Black actors were nominated for leading categories this year. Once again, they deserved better. 

When the 2022 Oscar nominations were announced, Black actors and directors ruled the roost. It was a comforting – and deserved – outcome after years of ‘#oscarssowhite’ protest, a nod to the academy’s consistent failings in diversity and inclusion.

But this year, it seems that this positive shift was only a phase. Despite a slew of Black performers and filmmakers getting Oscar nods in 2023, there have been no Black individuals nominated in leading categories.

Amongst the biggest snubs were Viola Davis – whose leading role in Woman King was expected to pick up a Lead Actress nomination – and Danielle Deadwyler’s breakthrough role in ‘Till’.

Despite a nomination for Angela Bassett in Actress in Supporting Role, blockbuster hit Black Panther went unrecognised for Best Picture.

Along with a lack of Black actors in leading categories, this year’s Oscars had another notable absence; women directors. And specifically Black women.

Sarah Polley (dir. ‘Women Talking’), Gina Prince-Bythewood (dir. ‘The Woman King’), Maria Schrader (dir. ‘She Said), and Charlotte Wells (dir. ‘Aftersun’) were all frontrunners in the best director line-up. Yet not one received a nomination.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom. 2023 has been an incredible year for Asian-American representation, with ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ receiving 11 nominations. This includes Michelle Yeoh’s nod for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

In fact, ‘Everything Everywhere’ has led the pack of this year’s nominations, and done so with an almost entirely Asian-American main cast.

But despite their successes, Black actors and directors have – once again – been given the short end of the stick.

Following the nominations, Women in Film – a Los Angeles-based organisation supporting female representation in the industry – called out the Academy for omitting women filmmakers.

‘Once again, Academy voters have shown that they don’t value women’s voices, shutting us out of the Best Director nominations’.