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The Academy Awards are always a reliable source of controversy. Hollywood’s biggest night is supposed to be a celebration of the year’s greatest achievements in cinema. But the road through awards season is paved with division and debate. Case in point, the 95th Oscars. The award show is taking flack from some fans and pundits, particularly in the Best Director and Best Actor categories. 

The Oscars 2023 nominations have been stirring up controversy

oscars 2023
Actors Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams read the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards, in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in Beverly Hills, CA, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. | Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

In recent years, the Academy Awards have been under tight scrutiny regarding the representation – or, more often than not, the lack thereof – of women and people of color. Hence, the #OscarsSoWhite campaign was born. According to The New York Times, the movement began in 2015 by activist April Reign in response to the fact that all 20 acting nominations went to white actors.

Ever since, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has taken some measures to change things. The selection process behind inviting new members changed drastically, resulting in a 2016 class comprised of 46 percent women and 41 percent people of color. Since then, films such as Moonlight, The Shape of Water, Parasite, Nomadland, and Coda – which feature representation for women, predominantly Black and Asian casts, and the Deaf community – have all won Best Picture.

Why the Best Director and Best Actor categories are taking heat

With the 2023 Oscar nominations, the academy is receiving criticism that no women were nominated for Best Director. Leading awards contenders Women Talking, Till, and Aftersun were all directed by women: Sarah Polley, Chinonye Chukwu, and Charlotte Wells, respectively. The Best Actor category is another trouble spot. There are no men of color among its five first-time nominees: Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Brendan Fraser, Paul Mescal, and Bill Nighy.

Among the biggest snubs in Best Director was Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King, fans on Reddit called out. Despite a cast that includes Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, and John Boyega, the film received zero nominations. Likewise, Polley’s absence for her work in Women Talking left fans frustrated. And while the absence of men of color in Best Actor was a disappointment, many applauded Mescal’s nomination for Aftersun.

Only a single Best Picture nominee was directed by a woman

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In 2023, the academy restored the Best Picture category to a firm 10 nominees. In some recent years, the category has featured a sliding scale wherein up to 10 films could be nominated. But oftentimes, eight or nine films were up for the award instead. However, even with 10 Best Picture nominees, only one film directed by a woman cracked into the category.

The film in question? None other than Women Talking, which rode an early wave of positive buzz for its screenplay, performances, and Polley’s direction. By the time the Oscar nominations were announced, it received only two nods. While it is certainly a dark horse in Best Picture, perhaps Polley’’s script – adapted from Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel – could win Best Adapted Screenplay.

The 95th Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

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