The 2023Oscarswere monumental for a variety of reasons:the smashing successofEverything Everywhere All At Once, which took elevated Asian and Asian-American representation on the screen; the wide variety of Indian representation across a multitude of categories; and how the year evokedParasite’s award season, which had taken many by surprise. However, this does not make up for the fact there arestill various systemic issuesin the movie and entertainment industry as a whole, including the fact that even if you give films like these awards, support needs to go beyond handing over a trophy.
Hollywood, and the movie industry as a whole, is still grappling with what equity could look like on a set, let alone in the casting. As director and screenwriter Sarah Polley took the stage toaccept the awardfor Best Adapted Screenplay forWomen Talking, she made a joke about thanking the Academy for not being offended by the words “women” and “talking” being next to each other. There is an unfortunate truth behind Polley’s joke that reveals a lot about the Academy’s decision-making process, and while it has been no secret some have been favored over others due to their race, there are still prominent issues at hand here.
Representing the World Stage
Dancers perform to “Naatu Naatu” onstage during the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, July 03, 2025.
One of the many highlights of the 2023 Oscars was seeing how Indian cinema and documentaries shone — something that has not been acknowledged in Western media for years.The Elephant Whispererstook home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, Deepika Padukone introduced the performance for “Naatu Naatu,” Shaunak Sen was nominated for Best Documentary Feature forAll That Breathes, and “Naatu Naatu” took home Best Original Song. However, for many, especially South Asians and their diaspora, the live “Naatu Naatu” performancewas highly disappointing.
For a Telugu language song being represented on such a global stage, it has been reported that none of the dancers on stage were South Asian. This is deeply concerning not only because “Naatu Naatu” is from an Indian movie,RRR, but it is such a missed opportunity to showcase Desi culture. South Asian dance is an art form widely celebrated and taught today, and it is not like there is a shortage of those trained in it in the United States. The live performance of “Naatu Naatu” holds a specific connotation: Indian cinema and songs can be celebrated on such a prestigious stage, but not using Indian or South Asian dancers implies a disconnect between the mission of inclusion and representation.
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Several years ago, whenParasitefatefully took home a handful of Oscars back to South Korea, one actor in the film was prominently snubbed from any Oscar nominations: Song Kang-ho. Many believed Song was worthy of being nominated for Best Supporting Actor, especially considering his track record being one of the biggest Korean actors working in the industry. The entire cast ofParasitewas worthy of a nomination, but throughout almost all the major Western awards, they were snubbed. The only other movie to win Best Picture with no acting nominationswasSlumdog Millionaire, whose was cast of those considered unknown. Almost everyone inParasitehas enjoyed extensive careers in South Korea and abroad — so, again, where is representation truly heading in these awards ceremonies?
2023 Marks a Shift
In recent years, two major shifts can be observed with the Oscars: whenParasitetook home Best Picture and a myriad of other awards, and now the success ofEverything Everywhere All At Once. As James Hong put it in his SAG speech forEverything Everywhere All At Once, “look at [Asians in film] now” while nodding to his past working in an industry that utilized yellowface instead of casting Asians in these roles. Other movies walked so that these films could run, and hopefully, this paves the way for broader representation, especially for Black-led movies.
The 2023 Oscars were controversial to begin with, when Andrea Riseborough was announced as one of the nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress, effectively shutting other actresses of color — including Danielle Deadwyler forTilland Viola Davis forThe Woman King— out of the race. The male equivalent of the award did not feature a single BIPOC actor in the running. The International Feature Film category only included one movie from a non-European country:Argentina, 1985. The International Feature Film category featured some big snubs this year, including South Korea’sDecision to Leaveand India’sRRR.
Related:How the Oscars Lost Cultural Relevance
The Academy Awards have put out several statements in the past about inclusivity and trying to confront its past about not giving awards to non-white individuals, but when the system as a whole is broken, it becomes difficult to be inclusive as an entity without intentionality. This isn’t to say that no progress has been made in the past couple of decades–the world would not see the wins it saw in 2023 without it. However, there is more work to be done–giving these awards and performances allows a layer of visibility for BIPOC and international cinema, but it needs to go beyond simply handing out an award.
