Academy Awards: The facade still stands – comment – SPIEGEL ONLINE

The Oscars 2016

that’s what happened.

“Spotlight” won the Oscar for “Best film of the year”
After five nominations inconsequential gets Leonardo DiCaprio for the first time the Oscar for “Best Actor”.
newcomer Brie Larson won in the category “Best Actress”. A
triumph of the evening was for moderator Chris Rock : He raised the issue “White Oscars” bitter and funny.

3 hours, 37 minutes future vision – these were the 88th Academy Awards. Or they wanted to look at least. So many black artists as possible to the stage. Political opinions in as many sketches and acceptance speeches. The best TV comedians as presenters. In one year, the most serious crisis of legitimacy since its inception, the award drew a picture of himself, the Oscars have yet to meet.

Because so diverse, so pointedly, was so politically and pop culture relevance as this Gala – so the industry is not, nor the many films that find Hollywood made their way into the world. And even the political statements sounded amazingly hollow when you try to bring them into alignment with what actually took official recognition this evening.

“The Hunting Grounds”, the film that had contributed to the Lady Gaga her harrowing song about rape – he was not nominated for best documentary. Sam Smith took the Oscar for allegedly first openly gay man opposite – but not as an actor or a film on the subject, but for the mediocre Bond song ‘Writing’s on the Wall “. And when the end Public Enemy’s song “Fight the Power” rang out, it was painfully reminded that, Spike Lee – who has the song in his classic “Do The Right Thing” immortalized – boycotted the Oscars this year How was the award ceremony in comparison to previous years, as Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris ensured lame family entertainment, although considerably more lively and entertaining. Still haunted many minds throughout the evening. These were the spirits of not nominees, by Spike Lee and starring in his new film “Chi-Raq”, the ensemble of “Straight Outta Compton” and “Creed” – creators Ryan Coogler. And there were the spirits of an ossified Hollywood, the better three times in succession Emmanuel Lubezki and two times in a row Alejandro G. Iñárritu distinguished than to pick young talent into the limelight.

Painful discrepancy

“Mad Max: Fury Road” could industry, critics and audiences still some – six Oscars were not least the result of this consensus. But a business movie from Chris Rock to the center of Gala brought the discrepancy, under which the Academy has to suffer for years, very entertaining, albeit very painful to the point. For the film interviewed Chris Rock moviegoers in the legendary district Compton, where the members of the hip-hop troupe NWA submitted, was that dedicated to the biopic “Straight Outta Compton” – which was ignored until a nomination for Best Original Screenplay by the Academy.

The interviewed rock people – all black – had to fit in an Oscar-nominated film after another. “Spotlight”? No, not seen. “Bridge of Spies”? Not even heard what it. But “Straight Outta Compton” – the had seen all respondents. Here, a split in the audience drew from that was almost more hushed than the “so white” debate: Which of the nominated films there at all worthwhile social discussions? If one has not too long made himself comfortable in his little white corner

In the video: Chris Rocks furious opening monologue

This year, the eyewash can vividly go. Then the presence of Kevin Hart, Pharrell and Quincy Jones can pass as presenters as good will, to the Academy and finally show their chairmen Cheryl Isaac Boone want. But 2017 must before the progress and be visible behind the scenes.

Then more black crew members and other creative place on the sets must have, then black figures must be as friends and accomplices of whites more. And of course, must finally black among the nominees for Best Actor Awards.

However, unlike the Gala, the industry can not just engage Chris Rock and switch from zero to black and spitzzüngig. You must open for non-white, non-male, non-heterosexual people and tell their stories sustainably.

This is tedious, cumbersome and requires real commitment. As Academy President Cheryl Boone said, “Listening and agree not sufficient.” Everyone must recommend embed and employ minorities and people of color. “We need opportunities”, affirmed because even Chris Rock in his opening monologue. Everything depends on the opportunities which black creatives is given.

Since the film industry from all branches of the culture industry is supposedly the slowest, to show serious changes late. 2017 can therefore be the year in which the change, which Hollywood has resisted so long, is still missing more painful than 2016. Then the 88th Oscars will remain as a theater in stale reminder – as a piece for 3 hours and 37 minutes was the pleasure of his audience. And has been booed at the next performance.

The Oscar-winner in the video overview