The 87th Annual Academy Awards, held February 22 live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, was widely discussed not only for its celebration of cinematic prowess, but also for its criticism of the lack of diversity in nominees and the lack of appreciation of genuine talent in Hollywood.
One of the night’s biggest winners was Alejandro González Iñárritu, director of Birdman, who took home the award for Best Directing and also Best Original Screenplay. According to The Wall Street Journal, Birdman narrowly beat out Boyhood, the film’s top contender, to win Best Picture.

While the Birdman cast and crew were delighted with these wins, many Boyhood fans were upset by their own film’s lack of awards, despite rave reviews from critics. 
“I think that Boyhood‘s snub was upsetting because of the extreme care and time devoted to the making of the film. The cast was amazing and it was incredible to watch Mason (Ellar Coltrane) grow up,” Convent of the Sacred Heart senior and broadcast journalism student Jen Esposito said.
Boyhood director Richard Linklater invested a great deal of time into his production of the Best Picture nominee, which was filmed for one week every year for 12 years, but his craftsmanship did not earn him the Oscar for either Best Directing or Best Picture. However, Patricia Arquette won the trophy for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the mother of Mason (Coltrane) and Samantha (Lorelei Linklater).
Birdman defeated its seven other competitors for the Best Picture slot, one of which was Ava DuVernay’s Selma, the harrowing story of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. While singer-songwriters John Legend and Common won the award for Best Original Song for the film’s hit “Glory,” Selma was excused from many award categories.
Although Selma was also among the films in the Best Picture category, many film critics and raconteurs were surprised at the movie’s lack of nominations. Lead actor David Oyelowo, who portrayed Dr. King, was not nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Additionally, director Ava DuVernay was snubbed in the race for Best Directing.
“The Academy had already come close to disgracing itself by snubbing Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo from Selma,” Mr. Peter Bradshaw said, according to theguardian.com.
Controversy also followed the snubs as some journalists accused the Foreign Press Association of racism. Mr. Neil Patrick Harris, the enthusiastic host of the 87th Academy Awards, also noted the lack of diversity among the nominees of the 2015 ceremony in his opening monologue, according to hollywoodreporter.com. 

Mr. Harris highlighted some of these other missed nominations throughout his dialogues. When he introduced Jennifer Aniston and Mr. Oyelowo, who presented the award for Best Documentary, he commented on their lack of nods, according to The Huffington Post. Ms. Aniston was not recognized for her leading role in Cake.
“I found it quite endearing and flattering that I had so many people rooting or me. It was almost just as good to be No. 1 snubbed than to be nominated,” Ms. Aniston said, according to The Huffington Post. “Now I don’t have any pressure.”
While these two stars were not acknowledged for their dramatic performances, the actors that won the competitive categories were equally talented. Julianne Moore, who portrayed an Alzheimer’s patient in Still Alice, won Best Actress in a Leading Role. British heartthrob Eddie Redmayne also picked up the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role after giving a compelling performance as disabled astrophysicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.
Whiplash actor J.K. Simmons won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work as a domineering band director in the Best Picture nominated film. His co-star, 28-year-old Miles Teller, was another arguable snub, according to inquisitr.com.
“Although there were definitely a lot of snubs, I think that we should recognize the immense talent of all of those awarded at the Oscars,” senior Kirsten Parkinson said.
– Sarah Jackmauh, Content Editor