Academy Awards Recap: The Good, The Bad and The Offensive?

Author:  Yolanda R. Arrington, WIFV Board

Yolanda R. Arrington is the Co-Chair of Women of Vision 2012 and a WIFV Board Member.

Sunday night, millions were locked in for the 85^th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by irreverent comedian and writer Seth MacFarlane. If you watch any of his work then you know what you’re getting: a guy who pokes fun at everyone. A guy who can amuse and offend everyone in the room, then sing a Sinatra standard with ease. But, Sunday night, viewers were treated to a series of jokes and an unfortunate tweet that lit up the blogosphere and the “Twitterverse.”

I’ve compiled a few Oscar commentaries to put things into context.

The Quvenzhané Wallis Tweet

The Onion fired off what was supposed to be a satirical tweet about young Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis. That tweet contained a highly derogatory term for women and was quickly pulled. The Onion apologized the next morning but it was too late. Bloggers and women’s groups were already on the move, supporting young Quvenzhané. The Crunk Feminist Collective compiled a love letter to the young actress, Black Girl Dangerous penned a blog about being a black girl in the world and a Huffington Post blogger noted how the tweet and MacFarlane’s joke that Wallis has “sixteen years before she’s too old” for George Clooney signaled a loss of innocence for the young actress and our culture, in general.

Visual Effects Artists Snubbed

While the Oscar party was happening inside the theatre, visual effects artists were gathering outside on Hollywood Boulevard to protest recent events that have put a strain on their industry. The Hollywood Reporter notes the recent bankruptcy filing and subsequent layoffs at Rhythm & Hues Studios –the same studio that’s responsible for the effects in the Oscar-winning “Life of Pi” – was behind the protest. During his acceptance speech for “Life of Pi’s” visual effects, Bill Westenhofer was drowned out by the band and his microphone cut off just as he was about to address the current situation in the industry. We plan to have more coverage and a deeper look at the visual effects industry in an upcoming blog.

Sexism & Racism At The Oscars

BuzzFeed pointed out nine sexist things that happened during the telecast, including MacFarlane’s song about breasts and a joke about domestic violence Taking a page from BuzzFeed, the Media Action Grassroots Network found at least five instances of racism during the show and listed them on the Organizing Upgrade website.

MacFarlane has said he will not host the Oscars next year. The show pulled in 40.3 million viewers, a million more than last year, so perhaps MacFarlane’s arm can be twisted.

What Can You Do?

Huffington Post blogger Jan Lisa Huttner suggests simple steps you can take to put a positive spin on the negative feedback by supporting women filmmakers, including participating in SWAN Day/Support Women Artists Now Day.

Did you watch the Oscars? Were you amused, entertained or offended? Tell us.

About the Writer:  Yolanda R. Arrington, WIFV Board

Yolanda R. Arrington is a digital media producer and full-time social media manager.  In her “other” life, she is one of four co-founders of the Witches’ Brew entertainment blog, a 2012 Black Weblog Awards winner.  More info available at yolandaarrington.com.  To learn more about WIFV DC, go to wifv.org.

Excitement is Brewing for Women of Vision 2012

Yolanda R. Arrington, Co-Chair, Women of Vision 2012 and WIFV DC Board Member

Posted by Yolanda R. Arrington
Co-Chair, Women of Vision 2012

Next week, Women in Film & Video will honor four trailblazing women who have made their mark on the film industry when the organization hands out its annual Women of Vision Awards. From television to film and beyond, our distinguished honorees are moving mountains.

Take Shirin Ghareeb, who brings diversity to the landscape as the Director of the Arabian Sights Film Festival and Deputy Director of Filmfest DC. Margaret “Peggy” Parsons curates the film program at the National Gallery of Art. She brings a bit of culture to a city often mired in politics. And then there’s Christine Weber, who serves as the Vice President of Production for Specials at Discovery Channel. She’s responsible for keeping you glued to your television screens and educating you at the same time. And last, but not least, Agnieszka Holland is an Oscar-nominated director who’s mastered the big screen and network TV. Her vision helped bring the gritty streets of Baltimore to life on HBO’s “The Wire.”  She’ll be staying in town to kick off the WIFTI Summit and ScriptDC conferences with a film screening of Europa, Europa at the DCJCC on Friday evening.

To help you start your weekend early, we’re hosting the Women of Vision Awards at the grand Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. This is a big weekend for us and what better place to mark an historic moment than at the Mayflower. WTTG/Fox 5 Weather Anchor Gwen Tolbart will be our emcee for the evening and there’s still time to grab a seat at our table. Visit wifv.org/wov for information. We’ll see you there.

Paige Gold, Co-Chair of Women of Vision 2012, is joined by Yolanda R. Arrington as a Co-Chair this year.  Both women are on the Board of Directors for WIFV DC.  The WIFV Women of Vision Awards celebrate women’s creative and technical achievements in media. WIFV Executive Members nominate women for these awards annually.