The Oscars' problem with diversity, summed up in one damning gif

Several leading voices in the film industry are calling for a boycott of next month's Oscars because of the continuing lack of diversity in nominations and winners.

For the second year in a row, 20 white actors - and zero actors of colour - have been nominated for awards, despite the fact that there were plenty of performances by actors of colour to choose from this year, from Beasts of No Nation to Straight Outta Compton.

Actor Jada Pinkett-Smith, who is one of the most vocal critics, said in a video statement she would not be watching or attending the ceremony as a result:

Begging for acknowledgement or even asking diminishes dignity and diminishes power and we are dignified people and we are powerful and let’s not forget it. Let the Academy do them and let’s do us differently.

The boycott calls have been criticised by some who point out its unfair to call on other actors to make a stand against the Academy and possibly jeopardise their careers.

But a gif from the Associated Press which breaks down all the Academy Award acting nominations from 1926 - 2015 by ethnicity shows the problem with crystal clarity: since the awards began, only 86 people of colour have ever been nominated (let alone won), compared to 812 white actors:

It's hard to argue with that.

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