Does Chloe Zhao's Oscar Win Actually Matter?

After 93 years of Academy Awards ceremonies, Chloe Zhao is the first woman of color and second woman to win the title of Best Director for her film Nomadland. It’s hard to know if this will actually have lasting effects, or if this is just another performative win that does not lead to any meaningful change for the groups it's supposed to represent. It's easy to get excited over a woman of color succeeding in the film industry, especially for those of us with aspirations to do the same. Zhao’s well-deserved win is something to be celebrated, but we need to hold the industries and institutions handing out these awards to marginalized groups accountable. Do they actually want to create social change, or do they just want to seem like they do without having to dismantle the systemic prejudices they benefit from? Zhao’s win does matter to the people she represents, but we can not be certain that it matters beyond face value to those in positions of power. Zhao making history after 93 Oscar ceremonies is obviously not reflective of a lack of talent from women of color, but rather of how we have been ignored and silenced for far too long. In order for Zhao’s win to be as impactful as it has the potential to be, the film industry needs to reflect on why it took so long for it to happen and what can be done to empower more creatives who come from oppressed groups. 

Hopefully, Chloe Zhao and Bong Joon-Ho are the beginning of an era where people from socially disenfranchised groups are given long overdue acclaim.

Women of color often grow up hanging on to what little representation we get within the entertainment and film industry. To no fault of our own, this often leads us to be overly excited about the simple existence of representation without making sure it will actually do anything for us. This causes the people in charge to be able to get away from being praised for this performative activism while actually giving nothing of significance to the people they claim they are helping. Having characters of color is not in itself beneficial to anyone if it does not create any tangible improvements. Only in the past decade or so have people of color had the popularity to play characters that do not play into a stereotype. One-dimensional portrayals of people of color, especially women, were the norm in film because they were the norm in American culture. There was a very limited market for creating multi-dimensional narratives around people of color. The majority of the most highly acclaimed directors are still white men. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as some of the greatest films have come from these men and they deserve to be praised. However, it's time to give directors of color a seat at the table, which can be done without disrespecting the white male directors who hold power in the industry. 

So how do we make sure people of color are getting the recognition they deserve in film? On a personal level, the simplest thing we can do is support these filmmakers and actors in their creative pursuits. A film gaining popularity among regular people leads to more appreciation within the industry. This has led to films like Moonlight, which depicts the experience of a Black gay man living in poverty, winning Best Picture. A film like this would have never seen such success in past decades. Parasite, which won several awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Bong Joon-Ho, focused on class struggle and social dynamics. These two films quickly became a fan favorite for their emotional intensity and raw depiction of struggle, which caused the film industry to acknowledge and celebrate them. 

Those who hold positions of power in the film industry should not be praised for diversity if it serves no actual purpose for marginalized groups. Having a diverse cast should be viewed as something neutral and normal. The praise should only be given if the film’s plot both claims to and actually does benefit an oppressed group. We also need to ensure that off-screen creative roles are being filled by people from these socially disenfranchised groups, which gives us films like Parasite and Nomadland. Talented directors and writers have been held back for far too long in film. Since these are the people who influence what is being created and put out into the entertainment world, they usually have the greatest impact on social change. Hopefully, Chloe Zhao and Bong Joon-Ho are the beginning of an era where people from socially disenfranchised groups are given long overdue acclaim. Diversity just for diversity’s sake does not do anything for those who are oppressed. This just leads to virtue signaling and the tokenization of marginalized people for the benefit of those in positions of privilege. What will actually lead to social change through film and the industry is putting people in genuinely empowering roles both on-screen and off-screen that show their creative potential in a manner that is equal to their more privileged peers.