HOLLYWOOD IS EMBRACING CHANGE BUT MUCH MORE IS NEEDED: When a movie on Chinese immigrants living in the US swept this year’s Oscars, bagging awards for best actress, director, supporting actor and supporting actress, it was widely believed that inclusion was a done deal in Hollywood. But there’s much more to be done, if a recent analysis is to be believed. The annual UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, published recently, states that while women and people of colour are making waves in productions with smaller budgets, the big-ticket blockbusters are still the preserve of white men. Worse, ethnic and gender diversity in the world’s most popular film industry, which had seen an uptick in the last few years, have fallen in 2022, the report states. We hope that 2022 was a one-off episode and progress continues in the years to come. Hollywood is one of those rare industries with direct or indirect influence around the world. Therefore, what Hollywood does today, it gets implemented elsewhere tomorrow. Above: Michelle Yeoh and Florence Pugh at the Oscars after party. (COMMENT BY: RAJAGOPALAN VENKATARAMAN, ASSISTANT EDITOR-FEATURES)
Reuters