“We’re losing something obvious. One another.”

Wesley Morris, The New York Times

Tonight is the night the film industry looks forward to all year – Oscar Night. The glitz and glitter will no doubt be subdued but one thing remains the same – the best films – like this year’s Academy Award nominees – transport us to new places, reflect who we are, challenge our perceptions, and hopefully employ our curiosity long after the lights go up.  

Yet even with the red carpet being rolled out and signs of hope emerging all around us, we remain a society still processing and healing from a year of social upheaval and reckoning like none other.

Movies can help, and fortunately after years of inequities “the academy’s vow to do better with respect to racial, ethnic and gender representation, essentially, bore out” according to The New York Times critic Wesley Morris. It’s the kind of change that marks progress and perhaps can somewhat be attributed to the pandemic. But at the same time, the past year, with its shuttered theaters around the globe, has led to an industry shift with uncertain ramifications for filmmaking and watching that those of us who love the movies may not fully comprehend for years to come. 

So today, before we fill out our ballots and root for our favorites, we share Morris’ insightful article and ask what do you see for the future of film? As always, we love to hear from you, so follow us and comment on social or email us at info@thepicturehouse.org.

Photo credit: Erik Carter, New York Times