A year after being criticised for ‘whitewashing’ the Oscar Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences seems to have learned its lesson. Not only was the list of this year’s nominees more diverse than previous years’, winners included films such as Moonlight, Fences and Hidden Figures, with themes such as racial diversity and sexuality. While the US has seen a rise in incidents of discrimination — this also shows how movies can shape and influence society, making it inclusive for all. Indian filmmakers voice their opinions.
A still from the movie Moonlight
Instrument of social change
Onir, filmmaker
Diversity is important, not just for international audiences, but should be a part of the discourse here too. We fail miserably to represent diversity in the film industry. Movies are strong instruments of influencing social change. That’s why I feel the certification board is so paranoid. Movies influence social behaviour in positive and negative ways, and a lot of regressive stuff is being passed off as entertainment.
Moonlight is not only about stories of people marginalised because of colour and sexuality, it’s a beautiful lyrical film, well acted and well shot. I loved the background music and rhythm of storytelling. Overall, it was a compelling film and an experience one takes back home.
A win for diversity
Vikramaditya Motwane, director
The fact that Moonlight won the Oscar (for Best Picture) shows that it is a win for diversity. The cynic in me wonders if this is a reaction to last year (when the Academy Awards had all-white nominations for two years in a row). Still, it is a great film. It takes a difficult and unusual story and portrays it in a very personal way. I think that’s what sets it apart from the others.
Hidden Figures also has a great storyline and appeals to everyone. We have also done something similar with Dangal. Both are stories of unsung heroes. It’s an amazing thing that these stories are now getting told in Bollywood. If we keep carrying on this way, there will soon come a time when we will be at par with Hollywood.
A form of reassurance
Mani Shankar, filmmaker
Hollywood was always against Donald Trump and his views, so this is not a surprise at all. A number of actors oppose Trump and his policies, and during his election campaign, Hollywood came out very vocally against them. They’re exerting a counter-balancing force against racism, and you’ll see a lot more of this across liberal America, even in the performing arts.
They can’t change the rhetoric — that comes from die hard minds that are closed, and it cannot be opened by propaganda. But it (the movie industry) will make itself heard and send out a message to the rest of the world that America is not about racism, and that is a beautiful thing. We, who believe that America is still the “leader” in many ways for the world, need reassurance, and this is a form of reassurance.
A glimpse into the people’s mindset
Anand Gandhi, filmmaker
Awards are a way for communities to gather together and respond to conversations that they find are most relevant. Cinema is a constant negotiation for larger impact, and is a way of sharing approaches, insights and world views of life. The awards are the communities’ way of responding with reassurance. The community takes a stand and responds to what it thinks is most urgent and most relevant. Within that framework, it sees how eloquently cinema is sharing its insights. Whether it is Indian mainstream awards ignoring really relevant films, or Academy Awards struggling to be as inclusive as possible, it gives a glimpse into the mindset of the people.
Getting past formula-based films
Pawan Wadeyar, actor, writer and director
Most of our cinema works within a ‘compound’, trying formula-based movies. If anyone does try to break out of that, they are unfortunately labelled as ‘art films’. Recently, a Tulu film titled Mudhipu spoke on the same lines but was termed as an art film. Slowly things are changing though. Such films — an honest attempt to bring change across the globe — winning big at the Oscars is great, and will immensely help filmmakers to talk more about sensible issues than just do films based on a set of formulae.”
Cinema evokes the conscience
Nila Madhab Panda, filmmaker
Films that talk about diversity — not just geographical but all kinds — you don’t watch them for entertainment. They give us a deep-rooted understanding of the social fabric, even if they are stories of personal lives of few Americans. Such films have great impact on the audiences’ minds. When I went to various film festivals after Slumdog Millionaire had won several Academy Awards, people weren’t asking me about A.R. Rahman or the Indian actors, they were concerned about the welfare of Indian children and asked if horrible things happen to them in reality as shown in the film. Such films evoke conscience.
Today, the US is in a transit phase, but more than talks and media coverage, cinema is a potent tool to talk about diversity as it can't be contained by building walls and putting bans in this digital era. From a cinematic aspect, I loved Moonlight for its spectacular cinematography, its ability to stay true to the story and some stunning performances.
Celebrate diversity
Ramesh Aravind, director
We should celebrate diversity in every possible form. The more we celebrate diversity, and the more it represents the globe. Being inclusive in every form is important. Cinema plays a major role and effectively reaches larger audiences. Such movies making it big at the Oscars definitely underlines the cause.
