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The Oscars’ New Diversity Requirements Are a Joke
It‘ll take a lot more than this to stop them from being so White.
The Oscars don’t want to be so White anymore.
To help ensure a more diverse group of future nominees, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are implementing new eligibility rules, beginning with the 96th Academy Awards in 2024. Among them: For a film to qualify for Best Picture, at least one lead or significant supporting actor must be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group (i.e., not White).
There are formality asterisks to mitigate such lofty requirements. Thirty percent of the actors in secondary or minor roles could come from two of these groups: women, LGBTQ, the cognitively or physically disabled, or an underrepresented racial or ethnic minority. Or the A story could revolve around an underrepresented group. In addition, to be eligible for Oscar consideration, movies also must meet certain behind-the-scenes diversity criteria.
The COVID-19 pandemic already has ensured that going to the movies may never be the same again, and now the Academy is guaranteeing the same for making movies — well, if a movie wants to be eligible for the Best Picture Oscar. Had these rules been implemented last year, would 1917, The Irishman and Marriage Story even have been eligible? Would the controversial Bruce Lee sequence in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood have been enough to put it in the running?
As much as I’d love to see Viola Davis tackle Queen Elizabeth I, a diverse cast won’t always enhance storytelling Hamilton-style. Not every historical saga is begging for the diversity treatment.
Going forward, will filmmakers deem Oscar consideration less important that staying true to their creative vision? That’s doubtful, but if they do, these changes will likely change the Oscars more than it will change Hollywood.
Viola Davis is … Queen Elizabeth I?
Here’s the thing: The Academy probably should stick to rewarding the movie industry and not trying to manage it. Trying to force movies to place token…
