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Editor's Note: Jeff Yang is a frequent contributor to CNN Opinion, writes analysis articles for Quartz and other publications and is co-host of the podcast “They Call Us Bruce”. He is co-author of the autobiography successful sales of Jackie Chan, "I Am Jackie Chan" and editor of three graphic novels: "Secret Identities", "Shattered" and "New Frontiers", soon to be published. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
(CNN) - Sunday was the night of the Oscars. The rain was so strong that he was about to take the white tent that protected the mysticism of celebrities on the red carpet. No one could blame him if at some point he thought that this flood was a symbol of the devastating cultural changes to which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Hollywood in general, has failed to adapt. On the eve of the awards show, we asked ourselves: will this night be of pale winners like snow, to celebrate the stories that exalt the privileges of English-speaking white protagonists, their narratives, their places and their history?
The answer: a resounding no.
From the first moment to the shocking and exultant victory of "Parasite" as the best film - it is the first foreign-language film to win and the first Korean film nominated in that category - the feeling left by these Oscars is that the long-awaited came turning point to an institution that desperately needed something like that.
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The U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences He knows what is happening. Since the 2015 viral label #OscarsSoWhite (“Oscar so white”), the Academy has been under attack almost constantly for not eliminating its practices of marginalization and elimination of people of color, of women, of LGBTQ + individuals and, more recently, of international talent.
This year's show seemed at least to take these criticisms to heart. The gala began with Janelle Monáe performing with Billy
Porter the bland main song of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood ”in a nostalgic version of the program's set design. Then an army of dancers dressed as movie characters, many of them starring people of color, joined her.
The performance ended up honoring "all the women who directed phenomenal films" - none of her was nominated - and expressing how proud she felt of being there telling stories as a black artist "queer". "Happy Black History Month!" He shouted.
Chris Rock and Steve Martin, two former Oscar ceremony masters who mocked his "degradation" to simple presenters, made their criticisms.
"So many great directors nominated this year!" Rock said.
“I don't know, Chris. I thought something was missing ”,
"Vaginas?"
"Yes Yes."
Rock later concentrated on the nomination for best actress of Cynthia Erivo: "Cynthia did such a good job in 'Harriet' hiding black people that the Academy contacted her to hide all the black nominees."
"In 1929, there were no nominations for black actors," Martin replied.
"And now, in 2020, we had one," Rock joked.
"Surprising growth," Martin commented in a scathing way.
But the late recognition of the issue of diversity would have had no meaning if the main winners of the program had been simply the expected: the large and expensive studio films that show the tribulations and difficulties of straight white men like "Joker," " Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood ”,“ 1917 ”and“ The Irishman ”.
The signs that this year would be different came early, when Matthew A. Cherry's brilliant short film "Hair Love" - which began as a project on Kickstarter and became a powerful film - won as the best animated short film.
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As Karen Rupert Toliver, the film's co-producer, said in her acceptance speech: “It was a labor of love… because we have the firm belief that the representation is of deep importance, especially in the cartoons because we see our first films "
The recognition that cartoons are a vital lens through which we meet the world and with ourselves continued with the interpretation of “Into the Unknown” of “Frozen 2”, nominated as best song, in which not only Elsa Idina Menzel sang in the original English language, but 10 other Elsas from around the world sang song verses in languages from Japanese to Polish.
But ultimately, it was the really historical recognition of director Bong Joon-ho and his movie “Parasite” that he did the most so that these Oscars had a fundamentally different flavor. Many dismissed the possibility of success of the film by the reluctance of the Americans to see a subtitled film, so it was largely assumed that, at most, it would receive a triumph in the original script category and a victory in the category whose Name recently changed to best international film. Not even Bong wanted to take it so seriously and said in his acceptance speech that he was "ready to drink until the next morning."
But when he won as Best Director - and then reunited his fellow producers, the cast and the rest of the team on stage to accept the best film - he was shocked, as if he had suddenly become aware of the many ways in which this victory It would change the world of cinema. Dazzled and having already given three acceptance speeches, he gave the place to producer Kwak Sin-ae, who spoke throughout the room when he said that this was a "very opportune moment in history."
The cinema has been worldwide since the invention of the cinematographer; today, Hollywood makes more money abroad than in the US, and for a growing number of films, the box office is being driven by non-white audiences.
This is, in fact, a very opportune moment in history: for the Oscars, for the United States and for the world. It is a time when power is changing and unbundling as we head to a future where the opportunity does not lie in a midpoint that contracts but in an expanding horizon.
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While much work remains to be done, the Academy could have finally accepted the lesson patiently tried to give activists like April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite, and Ava DuVernay, a filmmaker who has spoken frankly about the lack of diversity in Hollywood. It is a lesson declared in free verse on stage by the rapper and actor of “Pitch Perfect” Utkarsh Ambudkar, in his deliciously strange recap rapper in the middle of the Oscars:
“You have been trying for a long time not to see the color
What you see in front of your eyes is a sign of the times ...
There is enough light so that we can all shine ”
I toast Bong Joon-ho and the cast and crew of "Parasite." Toast to the Academy, because he finally felt the winds of change. The rain came and brought chaos and uncertainty, but also change, clarity, truth and a glimpse of the inevitable future.
- Translation of Mariana Campos
Oscar awards
