#OscarSoWhite: Why the 'Selma' snubs really hurt

Director Ava DuVernay & the film deserved better

"It's a white industry" - Chris Rock on Hollywood

Rock's words are really resonating with me today after a shocking rebuke of Ava DuVernay's excellent Martin Luther King/civil rights movement biopic Selma by the Academy Awards.

Despite stellar reviews, a timely narrative and Hollywood's reputation as a bastion of liberal politics, it appears that the predominately white body of Oscar voters couldn't get behind a black man's story directed and largely written by a black woman, and in 2015, that's just sad.

I had planned to write a typical analysis of the Oscar nominees today, who I thought was overlooked (Josh Brolin for Inherent Vice) or who I was happy to see make the cut (Steve Carell for Foxcatcher), but I never imagined that Selma would be so disrespected, and as far as I'm concerned that totally overshadows everything else.

For the second time in the last five years there wasn't a single person of color nominated in any of the four major acting categories. And Ava DuVernay, who would have made history as the first black woman (and only fifth woman overall) to be nominated as best director, was also left out of the race.

First, let me address those of you who say 'why should we care?' every Oscar season. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't mean everything. Great films are snubbed by the Academy Awards all the time, as are great actors and directors. That said, the Oscars are Hollywood's most prestigious honor and therefore they represent an acknowledgment of skill and talent. They may not get it right every time, but they can translate to big grosses and a prolonged career. They matter in the industry and in a business that has always been an uphill battle for minorities, they're even more important.

Second, there is another elephant in the room -- it's not just African-Americans being left on the sidelines, it's Latinos, Asians, Native Americans and more -- who are virtually invisible in the white-dominated world of films.

Win or lose, Selma is great

The thing is I loved most of the films nominated this year. Boyhood, Birdman, and most of the other nominees are more than worthy and they are also made by and featuring almost exclusively white people. If Selma truly wasn't worthy -- like The Butler a couple years ago -- I wouldn't complain, but it should have been nominated because it actually was one of the best films of the year.

There is all sorts of speculation today about what went wrong. Some blame screeners sent out too late to Oscar voters by the film's studio, Paramount. Others think it was the "controversy" over whether the film is factually accurate or not. But look at the sheer paucity of black nominees over the 80-plus years of Oscars, and look how even fewer films about black history or lives draw notice. Twelve Years a Slave, last year's winner, was the first film ever with a predominately black cast to win best picture, and coupled with Slumdog Millionaire, it was one of only two movies with a predominately non-white cast to win.

At this point, the only thing that can help this worthy, important film is audiences themselves. Will they ignore the Oscar snub and view this film on its own terms and merit? Stranger things have happened and there's a case to be made that the adverse publicity the film has received will only raise awareness about it. Whether Selma wins the two awards it is nominated for doesn't matter to me, as long as people see it.