Can we all just stop banging on about diversity in films? No, I'm afraid not.

© Guardian

In March, writer, actor and comedian Romesh Ranganathan penned an article for the Guardian in which he begged us all to “stop banging on about diversity in films.” Writing in response to press coverage of ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ which hailed the film a ‘movement’ and defining moment for African-American filmmaking, Ranganathan argued that “trumpeting diversity undermines what you are trying to achieve in the first place. It should happen without fanfare … People should be presented with diverse films and … [told] this is just how it is. … Announcing a diversity initiative, or making it a cause, exerts unwanted pressure … We should all be pushing to make more diverse films, TV shows and business opportunities. But we probably shouldn’t mention it.” Though I understand Ranganathan’s argument and a large part of me agrees with it, the other part of me finds it idealistic and a little naïve. Perhaps even privileged. Indeed, many marginalised people feel they have been silenced, ignored, and ‘not mentioned’ for long enough.

Commenting on the phenomenal success of ‘Black Panther,’ which with a stunning $1.3billion at the box office is the biggest Marvel movie of all time, Ranganathan said, “[this film] has an almost complete black cast and some kick-ass female characters … [But] a film set in Africa having a lot of black characters in it should probably be a given.” A fair point. The black actors were simply playing black characters. But where, I ask, was this seemingly simple logic in 2017 when Rupert Sanders, director of ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ cast Scarlett Johansson as its Japanese heroine Motoko Kusangi? Or in 2015, when Rooney Mara was cast in ‘Pan’ as the Native American Tiger Lily? How about in 2014’s ‘Noah,’ when the lead was played by Russel Crowe? And in ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings,’ when Caucasian actors Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton played Moses and Ramses II respectively? I can hear cynics arguing that these actors were likely best during the audition processes. Perhaps they were. But whitewashing is common practice in Hollywood and character authenticity is often substituted for glitzy names and box office guarantors. It cannot be taken for granted, as it seems to be by Ranganathan, that ethnic characters will be appropriately cast.

Out of this climate come films like ‘Black Panther,’ directed by Ryan Coogler, ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ ‘Selma’ and ‘13th’ by Ava DuVernay, and ‘Get Out’ by Jordan Peele (among many, many others), which look to accurately represent the stories and experiences of the African-American community on the big screen. There remains a big gap for films that reflect the Asian and Middle Eastern experience in today’s socio-political climate. These minority ethnic communities simply cannot stay quiet about diversity in films. When these communities are poorly represented on-screen, it is important they feel they can speak out and voice their critiques. Similarly, when a film represents these communities well, celebration is natural. Rather than exert unwanted pressure on filmmakers, the latter reaction is simply a marginalised community expressing their temporary victory. Both reactions are important.

And while it is easier to believe the opposite, society is not yet at a point where we can sit back and watch diversity happen. Because it won’t happen. The media industry, both in the boardroom and on the big-screen, is constantly having to be nudged to act more inclusively. There are many who still believe diversity is about reaching a quota, rather than accurately and profitably reflecting the human experience. There are not enough people willing to walk away from projects that are not as diverse as they should be, and too many people ready to instantly take their place in this event. Conversation about diversity in films is crucial as otherwise there will be no diversity in films, save from those directors and casting agents who themselves come from a minority ethnic community. And there are not too many of those people currently.

What Ranganathan describes is the goal, the Elysium Fields of filmmaking. We are working towards a world in which diversity on screen is uneventful, normal and rather uninteresting to discuss. But that is not now, and we will not move any closer to the goal if we cease to discuss the topic in the first place. Conversation, at least for now, is key.

So: can we stop banging on about diversity in films? No, I’m afraid not.

Read Romesh Ranganathan’s article here: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/24/diversity-in-films-a-wrinkle-in-time