Related: Oscar nominations 2016: The Revenant leads field, Mad Max in second place
Sharpton, who is a personal adviser to President Obama, believes that “direct action” is needed to redress the balance.
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl)All white Oscar nominations are another example of the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Like the Rocky Mts. The higher u climb the whiter.
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl)Hollywood has a fraudulent image of progressive and liberal politics and policies. We must take direct action to correct this. Talk is cheap
The academy was also criticised for failing to show diversity in its choices last year, when the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite started trending after David Oyelowo failed to pick up a nomination for his role as Martin Luther King in Selma.
Related: #OscarsSoWhiteAndStraight: the Academy fails at diversity yet again
NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton has been trending on Twitter, with many arguing that the film was snubbed in the 2016 nominations. The film’s one nod is for best original screenplay – for its white screenwriters.