2017 Oscar nominations: La La Land lets Hollywood revel in its own image, Mel Gibson is back, and black nominees most ever
Record-tying 14 Academy Awards nods for Damien Chazelle’s throwback musical a reminder Tinseltown loves celebrating itself, but nominations also celebrate racial diversity – up to a point – and include Netflix, Amazon films
There are few things Hollywood loves more than celebrating itself and, true to form, the nominations handed out on Tuesday for the 89th Academy Awards reflected an industry happy to revel in its own glittering self-image. But they also showed a tradition-bound institution embracing the future with record levels of diversity, both in demographics and format.
People want to see their own stories up on the big screen. The problem is nobody in Hollywood is really paying attention
One of nine films to score a best picture nod in this year’s crowded and varied field, La La Land has been widely embraced as a balm in these politically turbulent times and a fresh twist on a genre that had largely fallen out of favour.
“It’s a film that uses all the tools of cinema – performance and music and design and storytelling – and masterfully combines them to deliver a joyful experience,” said one of the film’s producers, Marc Platt. “No cynicism, no irony – just joy.”
But beyond the resurgence of the musical, Oscar voters gave the recently embattled motion picture academy something bigger to cheer about. Unlike last year’s telecast, which host Chris Rock scathingly branded “the White People’s Choice Awards”, the 89th Academy Awards will not be dominated by hot-button questions of discrimination in the film industry.