The 83rd Oscars (more commonly known as the Academy Awards), set to air on February 28th, is already getting lots of attention, but not necessarily the kind they would want. This awards show recognizes and honors English films made within the last year with categories like “Best Actor”, “Best Actress”, and “Best Picture”. While most avid award-watchers are excited for nominations to see if their favorite film or actor/actress of the year was recognized, this year’s nominations were not received; not a single black actor, actress, director, or writer was nominated for the second year in a row.

To refresh your memory, notable films in 2015 that showcased black culture included Straight Outta Compton, Creed, and Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Tough Love. The white writers of Straight Outta Compton received a nomination for “Best Writing of an Original Screenplay”, but Ice Cube and other black actors in the film did not receive any nominations for this film. Creed picked up one nomination for “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” when Sylvester Stallone was nominated, but star Michael B. Jordan was not recognized. However the biggest shock came when Will Smith did not receive any nominations for his role in Concussion.

These nominations (or lack of) have prompted many prominent Hollywood figures to speak out. Whoopi Goldberg voiced her disappointment with the Oscars on The View shortly after the list of nominations were released. George Clooney also notably released a statement saying that the lack of diversity was “a step in the wrong direction”. Jada Pinkett-Smith and husband Will Smith have gone as far to Boycott this red carpet event by saying that they will not be attending this year’s Oscars.

So why haven’t films that showcase black culture or black actors gotten any nominations this year? Maybe some of these movies lack the same kind of quality that the others have? While Concussion highlighted major concerns with safety in football, the reviews aren’t great, thus it didn’t receive a single Oscar nomination. When up against big blockbuster hits like The Revenant and Mad Max, it can be hard for any one film to compete. Another major factor could be that the number of films that have a lead black actor/actress is significantly lower than that of white actors/actresses. Maybe this controversy surrounding the Academy Awards could prompt the film industry to integrate more diversity into movies that will actually get nominated for prestigious awards.