For all of its star wattage, the Toronto International Film Festival can feel like an insider affair, a showcase for movies that often won't be seen by the public for several months. Movies about racial politics and identity will fill the streets of the Canadian city, injecting Hollywood into a cultural debate — and kicking off a period of Oscar movies that could both inform and reveal a continent's racial attitudes. The focus this year could be on contenders such as “Moonlight,” “Figures,” and “Loving” — all of which could end up in the thick of the best picture race. What this means is that, for the first time in modern Hollywood, the majority of the best picture nominees could be films that tackle racial themes. Yet the increase of fall movies featuring people of color is more than simply a matter of Oscar math.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 06, 2016 06:11 UTC