When Rami Malek, an American actor of Egyptian parentage, won an Oscar in 2019, he completed a journey started in 1963 by Egyptian star Omar Sharif, the first Arab actor to be nominated for an Academy Award.
It was an important moment for the region, although other Arab performers and filmmakers had been knocking on the door for years. Also in 2019, Lebanese director Nadine Labaki was the first Arab woman to have her film, Capernaum, nominated for an Oscar. Malek's was a relatively rare win for a non-white actor.
Diversity, again, has been an issue that was raised in coverage of this week’s Academy Awards. While it was heartening to see Indian production RRR win the Oscar for Best Original Song, Michelle Yeoh make history by becoming the first Asian woman to win Best Actress and former refugee Ke Huy Quan become the first Asian man in 38 years to win Best Supporting Actor, no black talent was nominated for a lead acting award and there were no women in the best director category.
The Oscars’ role as one of the world’s most significant cultural events lends the issue a seriousness that extends beyond mere entertainment. The prestige attached to the Academy Awards, which are meant to be a meritocratic celebration of achievement, means that any whiff of bias – unconscious or otherwise – can have a ruinous effect on their reputation.
It is a reputation that has come in for some very serious scrutiny in recent years. Research from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and the Adobe Foundation published this month found that of the more than 13,250 nominees at the Academy Awards since 1929, 17 per cent were women and 83 per cent were men. Of these nominees 6 per cent were from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups. The ratio of white to underrepresented nominees is 17 to 1.
There have been some improvements over the past decade in part due to vigorous activism. The #OscarsSoWhite hashtag started by writer and campaigner April Reign eight years ago was a reaction to the fact that in 2015 no women, outside female categories, or actors of colour were nominated in the 88th Academy Awards. According to the Annenberg research, since then “there have been notable increases in nominations for people of colour across 16 of 19 categories examined... Additionally, the overall percentage of underrepresented nominees more than doubled from 8 per cent (pre #OscarsSoWhite) to 17 per cent (post #OscarsSoWhite)”.
The campaign also led to changes in the Academy’s membership and operation, a process that is continuing. Next year, for example, the body will introduce new rules for Best Picture nominees, designed to foster inclusion, although time will tell what their impact will be.
None of this is to downplay the achievements of those who won this year, and films should, ultimately, be judged on their artistic merits. Neither are the Oscars the only awards where there can have been some startling results over the years – this year’s Bafta awards in the UK came in for criticism after its diverse selection of nominees resulted in not a single non-white winner.
It has been 83 years since Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Oscar. Nevertheless, last year it was reported that membership of the Academy is still more than 80 per cent white and nearly 70 per cent male. When it comes to diversity and inclusion at the top levels of filmmaking, it seems the final script has yet to be written.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Afro%20salons
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20women%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESisu%20Hair%20Salon%2C%20Jumeirah%201%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EBoho%20Salon%2C%20Al%20Barsha%20South%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EMoonlight%2C%20Al%20Falah%20Street%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20men%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMK%20Barbershop%2C%20Dar%20Al%20Wasl%20Mall%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ERegency%20Saloon%2C%20Al%20Zahiyah%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EUptown%20Barbershop%2C%20Al%20Nasseriya%2C%20Sharjah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
- 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
- 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
- 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
