On Sunday evening, a gathering of stars attended the 2023 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) in London.
However, the night was overshadowed by social media users pointing out that all the winners were White.
According to Riaz Meer, a film and TV professional, the "creative industries" have some of the most entrenched racism when it comes to job opportunities.
Some say that the BAFTAs attempted to mask the lack of diversity by having Alison Hammond, a Black woman, as the awards presenter. One person commented, "BAFTAs be like 'All the winners were white, but it's okay! At least we had a black woman (Alison Hammond) presenting the ceremony!'"
Another tweet read, "#BAFTA continues to perpetuate racism & White supremacy - #BaftasSoWhite A Black presenter, Black entertainers & no Black award winners."
This outcome was despite recent initiatives to promote diversity, including an examination of the academy's voting regulations and a powerful speech from Joaquin Phoenix, who highlighted the message of exclusion to people of color.
In 2020, the British film academy changed its voting regulations after an uproar, bringing in a preliminary "longlist" ballot before the final nomination stage.
Voters in the best picture category would view all fifteen movies in contention and make their selection from that group.
One user tweeted, "Bringing this back because #BAFTAisRACIST," while sharing the video of Phoenix's speech.
People posted old articles lamenting that the film industry did nothing to make it more inclusive and accepting.
There was a consensus proclaiming that the event highlighted the absence of diverse representation in the film sector and underlined the necessity of having a more comprehensive discourse about racism in the UK.
Austin Butler was awarded Best Actor at Sundays ceremony for his outstanding portrayal in the 2022 "Elvis" biopic. Cate Blanchett was honored with the Best Actress award for her role in "Tar."
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