Oscar for Best Picture: New Standards for “Diversity”

It is expected that strict diversity standards will soon be defined that must be met in works seeking to compete for the Oscar for Best Picture, whether in the films themselves, or in relation to their filming and distribution teams.

This important initiative, launched on Tuesday, is expected to contribute to addressing the lack of diversity that has been the focus of criticism for years, either at the level of films selected within the final list of competing works within this category, or at the level of the «Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “The Oscar donor himself is the predominantly white male and female, according to critics.
The agency “AFP” quoted the president of the academy, David Rubin, and its general manager, Dawn Hudson, saying in a statement that “we believe that these standards will be the engine of sustainable and fundamental change for the film industry.”
According to the new rules that will take effect from 2024, films competing for the highest award in Hollywood must meet at least two out of four criteria: that their protagonists have at least one actor belonging to ethnic and racial minorities, and that 30 percent be assigned to actors. Among groups that are misrepresented, or if the main theme of the film is issues related to these minorities. That the film leadership team or behind-the-scenes art teams include people from historically disadvantaged groups, including women, gays, and people with disabilities. This is in addition to organizing paid vocational training or training courses for persons belonging to minorities, and for the film distribution and marketing team to include persons belonging to minorities.
The statement noted that these criteria, inspired by those adopted at the British BAFTA awards, are intended to “promote fair representation on and off screen, in a way that better reflects the diversity of film audiences.”
This initiative comes as a result of the efforts of a new task force that was established last June, as the United States witnessed demonstrations in protest at the murder of George Floyd and, more broadly, in protest against existing racism at the level of the American system. . At the end of the same month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences exceeded the goal it had set in 2016, which was to double the number of women and minorities among its members.
Please note that these rules will not apply to films competing for the Best Picture Oscar in 2022 and 2023, but these films must provide the Academy with confidential data about these rules.