Zeke Martin
Contributing Writer
Content warning: Sexual violence
Last Tuesday, Sept. 8, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which manages the Academy Awards, also referred to as the Oscars, announced several new standards for representation and inclusion that will be required for eligibility in the Best Picture category starting in 2025. These standards push for the inclusion of women, people from ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ people and/or “people with cognitive or physical disabilities or who are deaf or hard of hearing.”
The standards are split up into four categories. First, “On-Screen Representation, Themes and Narratives,” requires a certain level of diversity in the film’s cast and subject matter. Second, “Creative Leadership and Project Team” applies similar rules to the film’s crew and relevant management positions. Third, “Industry Access and Opportunities,” requires the film’s major studios and/or producers to provide “substantive, ongoing paid apprenticeships/internships inclusive of underrepresented groups,” as well as “training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development.” Finally, “Audience Development,” requires a certain level of diversity in “marketing, publicity and/or distribution teams.” According to the New York Times, “The standards will be enforced via spot checks of sets and through dialogue between the Academy and a movie’s filmmakers and distributors.” However, to be eligible for Best Picture a given film only needs to fulfill two out of these four requirements.
According to the Academy, these requirements “are designed to encourage equitable representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience.” Some have praised the new standards, with one Twitter commenter (@melythemac) saying that “this needed to be done because it doesn’t seem like many would do it on their own.”
However, the response from the public has largely been one of dissatisfaction from both the political left and right. On the right, critics like actor James Woods, known for his role as the voice of Hades in Disney’s Hercules, accused the Academy of trying to erase history, claiming that “it will now be difficult … to do many historical movies [because] streaming services are not interested in making movies that can’t qualify for an Academy Award.” Meanwhile, on the left, journalist Aina Izzah, writer for Malaysia Tatler, replied to the Academy’s tweet and called these new requirements “the bare minimum,” citing the fact that a film only needs to fulfill two out of the four requirements to be considered eligible and telling critics on the right, “just say you don’t want diversity/inclusivity and go.”
Stronger critics also accused the Academy of simply paying lip service to progressive causes without enacting real change. Stand-up comedian Tim Dillon, for instance, referenced the pervasiveness of sexual abuse in Hollywood by quipping, “How ’bout for Academy Awards consideration no one working on the film can have raped children?”
It would seem that between now and 2025, the Academy will have to either rethink their approach to diversity or accept diverse public criticism.