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Oscars Voter Says Diversity Campaign 'Is Ageist and Insulting to Black People'

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An Oscar-winning documentary maker has branded the #OscarsSoWhite furore as both ageist and insulting to black people.

Milton Justice, who helmed ‘Down and Out in America’, which won the Oscar in 1986, and is a member of the Academy’s documentary branch, has penned a searing indictment of the row in a piece for The Hollywood Reporter.

“What bothers me most is how insulting this is to black people,” he writes.

“I’m also shocked at the presumption of the president of the Academy to meet with David Oyelowo to explain to him 'what went wrong’ because he wasn’t nominated last year for his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma.

“I’m sorry, but are we missing the 800-pound gorilla in the room? Maybe there weren’t enough actors in the actors branch who thought he was good enough to be nominated. I’m not in the actors branch, but I certainly didn’t think he was very good in the part.

“And, on another note, apparently everyone is afraid to tell Ava DuVernay that it wasn’t a very good film and that is why she was not nominated. It had nothing to do with her either being black or a woman.”

He goes on to question whether more black actors and filmmakers in the Academy might have thrown up different nominations.

“My question is: if there were more black actors in the Academy, would that have assured David Oyelowo’s nomination? Would it have assured more black nominees this year? Do black people only vote for black people? Did I vote for Sean Penn in Milk because I’m gay?!

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“The whole idea is both insulting to blacks and to the Academy who presumably vote on artistic merit. Yes, Sidney Poitier broke through something, but he was remarkable in Lilies of the Field. Forest Whitaker may be one of the greatest actors alive. I teach acting — I am one of nominee Mark Ruffalo’s teachers — and I show The Last King of Scotland in acting classes. His color had nothing to do with his best actor win.

He goes on: “Eighteen percent of the American population considers itself black. And yet Barack Obama was elected president, beating out a Vietnam war hero.

“I feel as if strides are being made and, while it’s admirable the Academy is trying to be a part of it, eliminating members who dedicated their life to this profession, and may have retired from their work life, is both placing blame on them and pissing on their life’s work.”

The row continues to roll on, however.

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Danny DeVito has branded America 'a bunch of racists’ during an interview at the Sundance Film Festival over the weekend.

“It’s unfortunate that the entire country is a racist country,” he said.

“So this is one example of the fact that even though people were giving great performances in movies, they weren’t even thought about. We are living in a country that discriminates and has certain racist tendencies.

“So sometimes it manifests itself in something like this, and it’s illuminated. But just, generally speaking, we’re a bunch of racists.”

Meanwhile, the organisers of the Oscars have pledged to double the number of female and minority members by 2020.

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Image credits: Pathe/Getty/AP