Oscars 2016: Red carpert marred with protests against all-white nominees list

A group of demonstrators, led by TV host Al Sharpton, protested against the all-white nominees list this year, shouting slogans 'Hollywood must do better' and 'Shame on you' near the red carpet of the 88th ceremony here.

Sharpton said there would be larger protests if the Academy Awards ever has an all-white slate of actors nominated for Oscars again.

"This will be the last night of an all-white Oscars," Sharpton said.

All 20 actors nominated for Oscars are white for the second year in a row, which led to a huge controversy with Academy announcing plans to change the membership rules to encourage inclusiveness.

Sharpton criticized the Academy for failing to nominate films such as Straight Outta Compton, Creed or Concussion for any of its top honours, which had led to many actors deciding to boycott the event.

In a separate agitation, Mark Ruffalo, who is nominated in the best supporting actor category for his role in Spotlight, joined survivors of paedophile priests in a protest outside downtown LA's Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, hours before attending the Academy Awards.

Ruffalo along with Spotlight's director Tom McCarthy and the film's co-writer, Josh Singer, joined members of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) to call for the names of priests who had been convicted of abusing minors to be made public.

Spotlight is based on the Boston Globe's expose of child sex abuse scandal in the catholic church.