‘Till’ director criticises Oscars “misogyny towards Black women” after snub
Till director Chinonye Chukwu has criticised the Oscars over its seeming “misogyny towards Black women” in the wake of the Academy Awards 2023 nominations.
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Chukwu’s comments came after the biopic Till — which tells the real-life story of Mamie Till-Mobley as she fought for justice for her son, Emmett Till, after he was lynched in 1955 — received no nominations in any Academy Award category this year.
This is despite the film receiving nods from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday (January 25) she wrote: “We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women.
The director continued: “And yet.I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life – regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance [sic].”
Alongside her statement, Chukwu posted a photo of herself smiling next to civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, who is portrayed by actress Jayme Lawson in the film.
The Oscars has also faced criticism in the wake of its nomination announcements about its bias towards male directors. This year there were no women nominated in the Best Director category.
The organisation Women In Film criticised the Academy for omitting women directors this year, saying in a statement obtained by #Oscar: “Once again, Academy voters have shown that they don’t value women’s voices, shutting us out of the Best Director nominations.
“An Academy Award is more than a gold statue, it’s a career accelerator that can lead to continued work and increased compensation.
“That’s why WIF will continue to advocate for the work of talented women directors like Sarah Polley’s Women Talking, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King, Maria Schrader’s She Said, Chinonye Chukwu’s Till, and Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun, to be included.”
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JJ Nattrass
NME
