WHEN it comes to performing talent, the Oscars seem to have no problem with black people entertaining them as hosts. Whoopi Goldberg made history as an Academy Award host for being both black and female. Chris Rock will always turn the story into to HIS story with his razor-sharp wit and brilliant comedic timing. But when it comes to people of colour getting those nominations, there always seems to be those who get overlooked or not seen at all.

If we look back to last years’ Academy Awards, some of us are still asking ourselves how did the brilliant director of one of last year’s best overall films, Selma — Ava Duvernay — get overlooked as Best Director? Why didn’t Selma, with it’s almost unheard of 99 per cent approval rating among national critics, not get a Best Picture nod and no nominations in other top categories like Best Costume, Design by Ruth E Carter; Best Cinematography, Bradford Young; Best Screenplay, Paul Webb? Why? Thank God we can entertain, as John Legend and Common won Selma’s only Academy Award, that of Best Song.

Maybe too many black people won the year before with the Academy Award- winning film 12 Years a Slave, which probably would not have been made had it not been for Brad Pitt coming on as executive producer. Maybe it was the lack of the white friend/Saviour in the film, since so many people were disturbed or bothered by the way Lyndon B Johnson was portrayed. Who knows but let’s look at who got overlooked this year.

With Oscar Award winner, Best Actor, Forest Whitaker, (Last King of Scotland); Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs and Pharell Williams as its producers, I actually enjoyed Rick Famuyiwas refreshing independent film DOPE. Yes, it had its problems, but I thought it did a great job of flipping the script on what is expected of a young black male character in South Central, Los Angeles. Straight Out of Compton, which has received outstanding reviews and accolades around the world, could most certainly have been up for an Oscar Best Film nomination. With its in-your-face, truth-be-told script about rappers NWA, set to the HipHop/Rap rhythms of the ’80s, set a winning tone and was only nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Jason Mitchell, the actor who brought Eazy E to life, was also overlooked.

High on my ‘Oscars Overlooked’ list is Ryan Coogler, who is not only the outstanding director of Creed, but also co-writer of the film. Coogler, with his attention to detail and emotion, has actually breathed life into the Rocky series, causing many to rediscover Rocky Balboa played by Sylvester Stallone. In what well may be his last portrayal of Rocky, Sylvester Stallone won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a film, the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Supporting Actor and has received an Oscar Award nomination in the same category for his role in Creed. Ryan Coogler, overlooked.

And then there’s Beasts of No Nation, which is a perfect example of an overall outstanding film completely overlooked by The Academy Awards.Beasts of No Nation is Netflix’s first original feature film based upon the 2005 novel by Nigerian-American author Uzadinma Iweala. The film centres around a young boy who is forced to become a child soldier in a brutal civil war taking place in West Africa. Having made it’s mark at the Venice and Toronto film festivals, it seemed as though the Oscars would see the value of this outstanding film, but it has been overlooked.

Idris Elba was wonderful in Beasts of No Nation and, with the backing of the Hollywood studio machine behind him, he deserved his Golden Globe, BAFTA nominations and his SAG win for Best Supporting Actor in a film, but no Oscar nomination. Overlooked.

Also overlooked were the film’s writer/director/cinematographer, Cary Joji Fukunaga and the costume designer Jenny Eagan. But the truly overlooked member of the team and his breakout performance was that of young Abraham Attah. At 12 years of age and having never acted before, his performance at times shocked me, made me laugh and also moved me to tears. Abraham Attah is the real overlooked star of

Beasts of No Nation.

Making yet another appearance at the many Hollywood award shows taking place this month, I had the pleasure of meeting Abraham at last weeks NAACP Image Awards. Hailing from the capital city of Accra in Ghana, Abraham — who is now 14 years old and quite humble having received international critical acclaim for his first time acting role opposite Idris Elba — the young star, let me know how eager he was to get back home to Africa. We talked briefly about school, travelling the world, collecting prestigious awards like The Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at the Venice Film Festival, being awarded Breakthrough Performance by the National Board of Review USA and the Best Actor Award by The Ghana Film Festival.

I asked him how was he cast in the film. With the broadest smile sweeping across his face, he said: “Miss, I was playing soccer at school with my friends and a white man said that he was making a movie and they were looking for talent. So my friends and I went to the studio and they picked me.”

I love a good star-is-born story, and it doesn’t get much better than this. One day you’re playing soccer with your friends and the next day you’re acting with the award-winning Idris Elba! It reminded me of when I got a phone call from my acting teacher telling me to come to the studio to audition for a film one day, and the next day I’m starring in a movie opposite Sydney Poitier,

A Piece of the Action.

It is amazing how this young boy with limited education and no acting experience was able to deliver, without a doubt, one of the best breakout performances ever, and he was overlooked by the Academy. I wonder if any of them even saw the film? Did anyone ‘see’ him? Does a group of people lacking in diversity like the voting academy even choose to watch a film that might be outside of their group or represents others who are not in their group? By not seeing the films and the performances, many are overlooked and not given a chance to be nominated. A change must come to the make-up of the voting academy. Diversity works.

When I was a little girl, my mother used to tell me that as a negro, coloured, black child (I have been them all) I would have to work twice as hard for half a chance. Even as an adult, this remains true in many ways. So, to all who have been overlooked, remember you’re not the first one not to be seen and you certainly won’t be the last. But as my Auntie would say: “Yu mus wheel and come again, better, badder, stronger!” No matter who’s watching.

Sheryl Lee Ralph is an American actress, singer, and activist with Jamaican roots. She also originated the role of Deena Jones in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls.