The Oscars ceremony will take place on Feb 22nd and while we can't wait for the event itself, this year's nominations generated a lot of discussion. In fact, those nominations led to more annoyance than debate. And I'm not just talking about the unjust snubbing of The Lego Movie from the best animated film category (seriously, what was up with that? Lego Batman allowed should have justified a nomination!).
No, the justified anger came from the fact that, in a year in which black film makers and actors broke new ground, and in which women got more interesting roles on television the Oscar nominations were whiter and more male than ever. All the best film nominees focused on men's stories, and the vast majority of films nominated across the categories focused on white characters.
Ava DuVernayIt's not like there aren't enough talented film makers from diverse backgrounds around. Until the Academy Award nominations came out, Ava DuVernay's film Selma, a critically adored film about Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement, was tipped to sweep the boards.
But while the film was nominated for best picture and best original song, DuVernay wasn't given the chance to be the first black woman to win a best director Oscar, and the film's star David Oyelowo (he'll always be Danny from Spooks to me) wasn't nominated for what by all accounts is an amazing performance as Martin Luther King. In fact, all the best actor nominees are white. This last happened in 2011; since 1998, every other year has seen some diversity. But not enough.
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But while we may be depressed by all this - and I certainly am - perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. 94 per cent of Oscar voters are white, and 77 per cent of the voters are male. The average age of a member of the Academy is 63. We live in a world that has, for a long time, reflected the lives of rich white men, and the Oscars are no exception. In fact, most women, of any background, have experienced this in our own lives- our world, from working hours to politics to the media, often feels like it was designed to fit the needs of straight white men - who happen to have devoted spouses who does all the housework and childcare.
But perhaps we can hope that the negative response to this year's nominations might cause at least some of the Academy to ask themselves why they're more interested in films about people who look like them than in films about people of different ethnicities, and women, and both. Maybe some of the voters will start paying closer attention to the diverse world around them - and next year's Oscar nominations will be a little less pale, male and possibly stale.
So what do you think of this year's nominees? And do you agree that the lack of diversity here is just part of a wider problem - do you think women's lives and interests are reflected and catered to in the same way that men's are? Is there still an element of old boys' club in the world or have we moved past it and this criticism is unjustified? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
And if you want to check out this year's nominations, we've put them all in a gallery below for your perusal.
