Academy Awards Still Have A Long Way To Go On The Path To Diversity [Video Essay]

Despite the snafu in announcing this year's winner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the fact that Moonlight came out on top after La La Land dominated the awards circuit all season is a big deal. It shows that Oscar voters may finally be embracing diversity in a big way, and not in a way that's pandering to minorities. They're just finally starting to recognize more bold and diverse movies, filmmakers, actors and more. But they have a long way to go.

For the 89th Academy Awards, there were 27 total minority nominations. That's fantastic, but the fact is that there is still a of work to be done. A new video essay takes a look at the stark contrast in numbers between white nominees and minority nominees, and it should come as no surprise that one is favored far more often.

Watch the video essay on Academy Awards diversity nominations numbers below.

The good news is that the Oscars are getting better about recognizing more diverse talents. But at the same time, as the video notes, the real problem is the lack of faith that studios have in movies that aren't predominantly cast with white actors and actresses. Studios just aren't taking chances on those movies as often as they should, but movies like Hidden Figures and Get Out are quickly proving that giving movies with more diverse casts a chance isn't as risky as they think. Furthermore, blockbusters are creating much more colorful ensemble casts. The next step is making sure that the roles these non-white cast members aren't being cast just as an effort to pander to audiences for better box office.