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In response to William Brooks's message:
Yes, I did notice that people of color seemed to be absent (once again) from
the awards (did you check out the assembled celebs?--same thing there).  That's
why the canonization of Forest Gump seemed so insidiously significant.  I'm
referring to Gump as a film about the innocence of the White Man (i.e. Gump as
the unknowing participant in "making history"; Gump as the uncomprehending
bystander of "civil rights"; Gump as the desexualized savior of fallen women).
For me, then, the enshrinement of Gump goes hand in hand with the invisibility
you point out; it's even more creepy if you realize how Gump was introduced:
as a film about humanity, good old-fashioned values, the triumph of good over
evil and corruption.
 
Gayle Wald