INFOGRAPHIC: Women, minorities underrepresented in Hollywood

Oscar nominations came out Thursday, but neither female directors, screenwriters and cinematographers nor actors of colour got a nod from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

That’s a disconnect when you consider women represent more than half of the U.S. population and minorities represent more than one-third of the population.

One reason that they are underrepresented on awards night may be that 93 per cent of the more than 6,000 Oscar voters from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are white, 76 per cent are male and the average age is 63, according to the Los Angeles Times.

TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey said “it’s a very limited demographic.”

“We  have to remember movies are a very personal experience for people,” he said. “We respond emotionally, we respond based on our own background, our own history. So it maybe that that very limited demographic of the Academy voters just have a particular interest in what they want to nominate. It doesn’t reflect North America fortunately.”

The diversity issue was examined by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA last year.

According to its 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report, no minorities won an Oscar for director in 2011 when the survey was conducted. That same year only nine per cent of winning directors were women, while the lead actors who won Oscars that year were all white.

Below are the gender and race breakdowns for actors, directors and screenwriters for 172 theatrical films that debuted in 2011, according to the diversity report.

Lead actors by gender

Male: 74.4 per cent
Female: 25.6 per cent

Lead actors by race

White: 89.5 per cent
Minority: 10.5 per cent

Directors by gender

Male: 95.9 per cent
Female: 4.1 per cent

Directors by race

White: 87.8 per cent
Minority: 12.2 per cent

Writers by gender

Male: 85.9 per cent
Female: 14.1 per cent

Writers by race

White: 92.4 per cent
Minority: 7.6 per cent