Diversity and decolonisation: making the invisible visible

How do populations that have been historically subjected to the forces of imperialism not only prosper within the arts, but champion their own voices?
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At a time when the motion picture’s industry’s major awards body has been under scrutiny for its poor representation of people of colour, and a high-profile new movie release is weathering backlash about the casting of non-Middle Eastern actors in a feature set in Egypt, there’s no mistaking that diversity remains an important issue in the arts.

The recent discussions surrounding #OscarsSoWhite and the white-washing of Gods of Egypt are emblematic of an ongoing problem, as well as indicative of society’s increasing willingness to call out and condemn the marginalisation of minorities and the appropriation of other cultures — and, they’re just the latest examples.

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Sarah Ward
About the Author
Sarah Ward is a freelance film critic, arts and culture writer, and film festival organiser. She is the Australia-based critic for Screen International, a film reviewer and writer for ArtsHub, the weekend editor and a senior writer for Concrete Playground, a writer for the Goethe-Institut Australien’s Kino in Oz, and a contributor to SBS, SBS Movies and Flicks Australia. Her work has been published by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Junkee, FilmInk, Birth.Movies.Death, Lumina, Senses of Cinema, Broadsheet, Televised Revolution, Metro Magazine, Screen Education and the World Film Locations book series. She is also the editor of Trespass Magazine, a film and TV critic for ABC radio Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, and has worked with the Brisbane International Film Festival, Queensland Film Festival, Sydney Underground Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival. Follow her on Twitter: @swardplay