Oscar video highlights importance of diverse artists and stories

Proma Khosla
Updated

In a night that seemed to sideline the Time's Up and #MeToo movements for the first time since they exploded in Hollywood, the Oscar ceremony took a moment to acknowledge the rising tide of voices from women and people of color who the film industry has silenced for so long.

Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd, and Annabella Sciorra – all of whom accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault – took the stage to talk about the movement for equality in Hollywood.

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In an emotional introduction, the women described the shift in the film industry over the past several months, before introducing a short film highlighting the year's diverse films and creators. Filmmakers like Lee Daniels, Ava DuVernay, and Kumail Nanjiani spoke about representation and the future of cinema. Moonlight director Barry Jenkins recalled hearing women cry with the importance of Wonder Woman as they watched it in theaters. Daniels specifically mentioned Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time.

The video wasn't a hit for everyone, but the artists' comments rang true, particularly one of Nanjiani's first remarks.

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