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arts

Zak Gottsagen (below) and above with Shia LaBeouf in The Peanut Butter Falcon; he is the first actor with Down syndrome to present an Oscar
Rolling out the red carpet to all

The lack of diversity at TV and film awards ceremonies has hit were also highlighting their recognition of
the headlines. Tracey Harding considers the neglected diverse creativity, albeit in a small but
resonant way.
disability angle of this debate In the last issue, Community Living
featured a review of the film The Peanut
Butter Falcon, which starred Zak
he British Academy of Film Awards year’s For the Love of Film competition. Gottsagen, an actor with Down syndrome
(BAFTA) was criticised recently over Now in its second year, this competition (page 27).
Tits male-dominated best director involves a nationwide search for people Gottsagen gave a nuanced performance
category, and the lack of actors of colour “whose passion for film makes them in a leading mainstream film and, in a
in any of the major acting categories. legendary in their communities”. Winners historic moment at the 2020 awards, he
While this sparked necessary debate are invited to spend an evening at the became the first actor with Down
and attention, missing from the discussion British Academy Film Awards. syndrome to present an Oscar.
was any mention of learning and This year saw an award made to With his costar Shia LaBeouf at the
physical disabilities. Lizzie Banks, the producer of the Oska ceremony in February, he presented
A letter to the London Evening Standard, Bright Film Festival, a four-day festival in the Oscar for the live action short
published after the awards evening, Brighton featuring films made for and by film category.
eloquently highlighted the omission. people with learning disabilities, autism Reviewers had suggested that
Hannah Clarke, a digital assistant at and Asperger syndrome. Gottsagen might have received an award
Mencap, addressed the lack of recognition While this is an amazing achievement, nomination for his performance, and his
of actors with learning disabilities at the as Clarke emphasised in her letter, there is appearance was met with widespread
BAFTA awards: “With only 2.7 per cent of still a long way to go for people with support and acclaim.
speaking characters in popular movies learning disabilities to be recognised in In the end, as the media focus on
depicted as having a disability, and just the same way as other groups, and all recognition for diversity has highlighted,
12 per cent of people recalling someone eyes will be on the awards in 2021 to see change is essential if we are ever to reach
with a learning disability in film, change is if there have been any significant changes the point where we no longer need to
not happening quickly enough… in their awareness of disabilities. focus on the omission of people with
“Disabled people like me face stigma In a similar vein, and turning attention learning disabilities and, instead, can
and discrimination every day. TV and to another awards ceremony, the Oscars focus on their achievements and talent. n
film can change people’s attitudes
towards disability.”
In 2019, BAFTA became the first major
awards body to introduce inclusion and
diversity criteria into the eligibility
requirements for their awards. It said
productions needed to demonstrate that
they had worked to include under-
represented groups in areas including
on-screen presence and in themes Signature entertainment
and narratives.
A positive step was BAFTA’s decision to
recognise learning disabilities in this

28 Vol 33 No 3 | Spring 2020 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk