Cinema Faculty, Students Comment on Oscar Nominations

GOLDEN GATE XPRESS -- The #OscarsSoWhite hashtag first made its appearance on social media last year after it was revealed in The Atlantic that 94 percent of academy voters were white, 76 percent were male and the average age amongst the group was 63 years old. “The Oscars have always been geared towards old white men,” Chandler said. “I never used to watch it anyway, so I probably won’t watch it this year either.” Cinema professor Steve Choe cited the work done by black actors like Michael B. Jordan in “Creed” and Idris Elba in “Beasts of No Nation,” as excellent performances that were worthy of a nomination. “It’s not racist to remain critical of race in the nomination process,” Choe said. “Perhaps the academy needs younger voters.” Larry Clark, a professor in the cinema department, agrees that the film industry isn’t in tune with current audiences. “The film industry has almost always been behind the curve of the youth and what they want to see on screen,” Clark said.