It's only a few weeks until the return of the Academy Awards (airing on the morning of Feb 25 in Thailand). And if you've been following entertainment news, and seen the list of this year's nominations, you might just have noticed that the 2019 Oscars is one of the most diverse yet.
For the longest time, Hollywood executives insisted upon having straight, white, usually male leads, in the belief that this was what was required to turn the huge profits demanded by the industry. But in recent years, more and more people have pushed against this, decrying such attitudes as outmoded and misguided, and demanding more representation.
The film industry has responded by putting more effort into diversification, especially when it comes to the major releases. Marvel's Black Panther is probably the most obvious example, with its all-black cast, not to mention its mixing of superhero tropes and thoughtful exploration of race and imperialism. The film made a mockery of Hollywood's old conservatism, taking in $1.3 billion (41 billion baht) worldwide -- the highest-grossing film of 2018 -- and creating history by becoming the first superhero film to get a best picture nomination at the Oscars.
Change hasn't been limited to Hollywood. Mexican actresses Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira have received best actress and best supporting actress nominations respectively for Roma, Alfonso Cuarón's technically dazzling black-and-white feature, which has been such a hit with critics. Aparicio is the first indigenous woman to be nominated for best actress, and has sparked public debate in her native Mexico over the country's treatment of women, the lower classes and ethnic minorities.
Elsewhere, we have African American actress Regina King receiving her first Oscar nomination for her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk and Egyptian American Rami Malek up for Best Actor for his turn as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek is a strong contender, having already taken home the Golden Globe, but he does face strong competition from the five other (straight white) nominees: Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born), Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate), Ryan Gosling (First Man), Ethan Hawke (First Reformed) and Viggo Mortensen (Green Book). In the directing category, meanwhile, Spike Lee has earned his first nomination, for BlacKkKlansman, a film which has a lot to say about the current state of race relations in the US.
But this move towards greater diversity has not been seamless. One of the year's strongest contenders is Green Book, Peter Farrelly's feel-good interracial bromance. The film has garnered five Oscar nominations. It has also garnered its fair share of controversy over what many feel is a sentimentalised take on race and racism. If the film is honoured, it could be seen as a reflection of an Academy that remains out of touch.
Women are also notable for their absence in the best director category. Lynne Ramsey and Debra Granik have a right to feel aggrieved for being overlooked for You Were Never Really Here and Leave No Trace, respectively, two of the strongest releases of last year.
Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see the Academy attempt to be more inclusive and reflective of the different faces and voices in cinema. There are indicators that the Hollywood pipeline has responded to the demands of #OscarsSoWhite (which campaigned for more representation of people of colour in film) and the #MeToo/Time's Up movement (against sexual harassment and gender inequality in the industry). Looking at this year's best picture nominees, these sentiments have carried through to the movies themselves.
In a world where people and societies are so unequal, the Oscars of 2019 might be a positive sign that things can change.
Tatat Bunnag is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.