If you didn’t watch last night’s Golden Globes, but only saw the reactions online, you may have thought that the night’s biggest movie was something called Hidden Fences.
“Hidden Fences” – brilliant black women use math to launch Denzel Washington into space where he plays professional baseball with his son
— Baratunde (@baratunde) January 9, 2017
The story of how Denzel & Viola helped the blk women of NASA put a fence on the moon while being his mistresses #GoldenGlobes
— George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) January 9, 2017
I can’t believe I haven’t seen #hiddenfences yet!! But you know, I still need to see Boo! A Madea Moonlight, so…I’ll get to it.
— Carl (@carleswan) January 9, 2017
As you hopefully know, there is no movie called Hidden Fences. There is Fences, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, based on the play by August Wilson. And there is Hidden Figures, the story of the African-American women who played pivotal roles in sending the first astronaut into space, which just so happened to be the top grossing movie at the box office this weekend. Hidden Fences, meanwhile, was a slip-up from E!’s red carpet host Jenna Bush Hager.
Pharrell’s face just held hundreds of years of whitewashing resolve #HiddenFences #goldenglobes pic.twitter.com/OMAebhPjkb
— Tonja Renée Stidhum (@EmbraceTheJ) January 9, 2017
Now, that could be an innocent mistake. Hager has since issued a tearful apology, and these things do happen all the time. On the same red carpet, Al Roker called Jessica Biel Jessica Alba, and Natalie Morales referred to the show Transparent as Transgender (an incredibly cringeworthy mistake itself).
But then later on in the show, Michael Keaton also referenced the movie Hidden Fences, and this all became a lot harder to write off as a simple mistake.
somehow they never mix up “The Night Of” & “The Night Manager” but manage to utter #HiddenFences twice in live tv. #SoulGlobes #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/Xpk2S37I8l
— Leslie Mac (@LeslieMac) January 9, 2017
The #HiddenFences incident is more than an innocent mistake. It’s a lack of research or care for black cinema.
— Mariah Hickman (@_MariahHickman) January 9, 2017
In an industry constantly being criticized for its lack of diversity, this year’s Golden Globes showed huge progress. However, for those who were skeptical that the industry itself had actually changed, and wanted proof that this sudden inclusivity was more than just lip service, this was a clear sign of how far we actually have to go.
The Hollywood Foreign Press’ infatuation with La La Land meant that a lot of really stellar work was overlooked. And while this could be written off as a matter of taste, that “taste,” more often than not, erases the work of Black artists. Or if it recognizes the art, it too often sees that end product as existing in a vacuum.
So they could acknowledge that #Moonlight is THE best film, but couldn’t individually award the folks who made it happen?
— Makiah Green (@makiahisms) January 9, 2017
If you’re looking for a great movie to watch, see Fences. Definitely see Hidden Figures. But don’t try to find showtimes for the Golden Globes hit Hidden Fences, because that’s not a thing.
(image via 20th Century Fox)
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