‘Oscar’ Academy to double female and minority members by 2020

Stars including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee and Mark Ruffalo have all spoken publicly about their disappointment that no black actors or actresses featured in the nominations for the 2016 awards.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday promised sweeping reforms created to help diversify its membership in the face of a major controversy over the second straight year of all-white Oscar acting nominations.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs attended the Producers Guild Awards at the weekend where she admitted the “past nine days have been pretty lively”.

How many new female or minority members the academy would need to enlist to meet its goal, and how many older members stand to lose their voting privileges was not immediately clear.

Other changes include limiting members’ voting status to a period of 10 years, to be extended only if the individual remains active in film during that decade. In addition, members will receive lifetime voting rights after three ten-year terms; or if they have won or been nominated for an Academy Award. “So until the product that’s being spit out is created at a point where there is more diversity, I don’t know that these changes will substantively affect much”. Boone Isaacs pointedly signalled that the academy’s actions were not sufficient for Hollywood.

This isn’t a case of there not being enough work by black actors and directors being worthy of nomination. Some may argue the Academy’s delayed response doesn’t exactly constitute “leadership”, but at least they’re offering some sort of substantive response as opposed to maintaining the silence that’s characterized years past. The members will be chosen by President Cheryl Issac Boone who has been the most active in implementing these changes. Idris Elba (“Beasts of No Nation”), Michael B. Jordan (“Creed”), Will Smith (“Concussion”), Oscar Isaac (“Ex Machina”) and a number of others all gave noteworthy performances ignored by the academy. According to a 2012 investigation by the Los Angeles Times, not only is the membership overwhelmingly white, 77% are men, and their average age is sixty three. Several actors spoke up about the issue, the Academy members did, too, and now Emmy victor Viola Davis spoke up about the real problem with diversity.

On Thursday evening, the members of the Academy gathered and approved of the organization’s efforts to increase diversity in the council.

The film-maker said the new measures represented “one good step in a long, complicated journey for people of colour [and] women artists”.