Academy Takes “Historic Steps” In Effort To Increase Diversity

The diversity issue has dominated discussion after an all-white slate emerged in the acting categories for the second year in a row at the Academy Award nominations.

The Academy is adding three new seats to its 51-person board of governors.

Under new eligibility rules, each new member’s voting status will lapse after 10 years unless he or she has been active in motion pictures during that decade, and lifetime voting rights will only be conferred after three 10-year terms or if the member has won or been nominated for an Oscar.

The Academy has always been criticised for a lack of racial diversity in those who are nominated for, and win, Academy Awards.

The decision will not affect voting for this year’s Oscars, which are scheduled to take place on February 28.

Meanwhile, the Academy will launch “an ambitious, global campaign” to recruit new members, while at the same time, maintaining its traditional process of having current members sponsor new ones.

The academy’s membership is made up of roughly 6,200 movie professionals around the world, and it was not immediately clear how many would be purged from the voting rolls by the new rule.

There is historical precedent for Boone Isaac’s efforts to change the academy’s membership.

ULABY: So they had a meeting on Thursday night responding to all of the furor about the most recent nominations. If a member has not been active in movies in the past decade, he or she will transition to emeritus status and will no longer be eligible to vote for nominees.

“It goes further than the Academy Awards”. In 1970, when the academy began to seem out of step with the rapidly changing times, then-academy President Gregory Peck began recruiting younger members and culling the academy rolls of people who hadn’t worked in more than seven years. Some other activists had urged Rock to withdraw; he never addressed those directly, but insiders said he believes he can do more good by remaining, since the Academy Awards reach a worldwide audience. And it will limit members’ lifetime membership privileges to bring in new blood.

With the goal of increasing diversity in Hollywood, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences vowed on Friday to double its membership of women and minorities by 2020. They have given no indication that they plan to call off their Oscar boycott. I think around 2004, certainly there were black nominees – like Don Cheadle, Morgan Freeman. Membership expansion will hopefully be a sign to Hollywood that there must be more voices in the marketplace, and that more stories need to be told from different viewpoints. While women, African-Americans and Latinos have been mentioned in this regard, I would specifically add Indians and Asian-Americans to the list of those who suffer because of lack of roles.

Limiting the terms of inactive or retired members means they will be replaced by new, diverse voters.

“Consulting with fellow civil rights leaders on the announcements from the Academy today”.

“I feel as if strides are being made and, while it’s admirable the Academy is trying to be a part of it, eliminating members who dedicated their life to this profession, and may have retired from their work life, is both placing blame on them and pissing on their life’s work”, says Justice.