BAFTA awards in race row for 'so white' nominations

Officials at the British awards defend the choices, despite stars including Denzel Washington and Ruth Negga missing out.

By Duarte Garrido, Entertainment Reporter

Thursday 12 January 2017 12:06, UK

Ruth Negga, Taraji P Henson, Barry Jenkins and Denzel Washington
Image: Ruth Negga, Taraji P Henson, Barry Jenkins and Denzel Washington missed out in the main categories
Why you can trust Sky News

BAFTA is in the middle of a diversity row after snubbing black and ethnic minority actors and directors in the main categories for this year's nominations.

The accusations began pouring in online, with critics tweeting '#BaftaSoWhite' after Tuesday's announcement omitted a few Oscar-tipped black stars for the main acting and directing categories.

Denzel Washington, whose film Fences has been gaining awards momentum with 31 wins and 86 nominations this season so far, did not grab the attention of the British Academy.

Denzel Washingon picked up nominations for his directing and acting
Image: Washington has been widely praised for his acting and directing

Another noticed omission in the main categories was that of director Barry Jenkins and Moonlight, a drama about black gay love, which is leading the awards race with the highest number of nods and wins.

It won the coveted best film category at the Golden Globes, while Jenkins was nominated for best director.

Hollywood Reporter columnist Scott Feinberg has been one of the most vocal critics.

"That stinks worse than week-old fish and chips, and BAFTA surely knows it," Feinberg wrote, accusing the British Academy of Film and Television Arts of having "some sort of race-related problem".

More on Bafta

Related Topics:

Harris will be the first black woman to receive the British award
Image: Jenkins' Moonlight features an all-black ensemble

BAFTA chief executive Amanda Berry responded by saying "everyone looks for the snubs".

"I want to remind people about the strong films," Berry told Deadline.

"Let's not overshadow their achievements because they are exceptional."

However, she did admit the lack of "diversity among the top acting categories" showed there was "still work to be done".

La La Land follows a jazz pianist falling for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles.
Image: La La Land has been called the 'most white-washed film' of the year

While Jenkins did miss out on a best director nomination, Moonlight did get nods for best film, best original screenplay and best supporting actor and actress.

As for Washington, the six-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner has never been nominated for a BAFTA.

The awards faced similar accusations last year and took steps to increase diversity by tweaking membership rules - although those have yet to take effect.

The debate comes in the wake of last year's #OscarsSoWhite row, which led to the Academy inviting a record number of new people for this year's voting, including black stars Idris Elba and John Boyega.

Last year, the London Film Festival took a similar stand, opening with Amma Assante's A United Kingdom in an unprecedented push to promote diversity.

Related Topics