This post was originally produced for Forbes.
The Academy Awards are and always have been awarded to social entrepreneurs and impact investors. We haven’t always had those terms available to us and even last night as I watched the award show on ABC, I didn’t hear those terms used.
Still, those who make movies with a social message and those who fund them are social entrepreneurs and impact investors.
Films with social messages will always create controversy, but it is in that controversy that the social mission is achieved. It is in that discussion, that issues are elucidated, and social change occurs—even when it is to the chagrin of others.
Let’s look at the roster of films nominated for best picture this year:
Black Panther
BlackKlansman
The Favourite
Green Book
Bohemian Rhapsody
Roma
A Star is Born
Vice
Not having seen The Favourite, I can’t identify a specific social issue in the film but for all the others, social issues are clear.
Winner, Green Book, took on racism and homophobia in a single…