The weeks leading up to the Academy Awards evening haven’t exactly been without furore. Well, have they, ever? Usually, though, any loud disagreements concern films and film professionals who have been snubbed for nominations. The clamour this year concerned one — comedian Kevin Hart — who had been chosen to host the 91st Academy Awards, that’s now almost upon us.
Following the untimely resurfacing of some old tweets of his that reeked of homophobia, he was asked to apologise or else, and given that his immediate response was to refuse to issue an unconditional apology, he clearly seems to have chosen ‘or else’. Meanwhile, the Academy had begun pursuing some ill-advised plans. One concerned the introduction of a ‘popular film’ category, as though we don’t have enough of ‘popularity’ trumping ‘quality’ in this age of RTs and shares.
Thankfully, sense prevailed, and it’s since been abandoned. The other plan — of four award categories (editing and cinematography included) not being televised — provoked outrage from even within Hollywood, as directors like Alfonso Cuaron (whose Roma has secured 10 nominations this time) and Guillermo Del Toro (whose film, The Shape of Water, won the coveted Best Picture award last year) proceeded, with their tweets, to show how dull this decision was. Thankfully, The Academy listened again, and has since abandoned this plan too.
While on the expected, Avengers: Infinity War should take home the Visual Effects Oscar. It’s a remarkable year for superhero films. The Academy Awards recognise this genre with a Best Picture nomination for Black Panther, the first-ever time a superhero film is being bestowed this honour. The film has secured as many as seven nominations, and firmly rubbishes any notion that the super-hero genre is any lesser cinema than any other. I suppose it also helped that Black Panther isn’t just another superhero film; it’s also one that’s fiercely proud of African heritage and lifts the veil of stereotypical portrayal that has long preceded it. Notably, three of the seven nominations for the film are for black women.
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