Hollywood Reacts to the Academy Awards new Best Picture Rules
The Academy Awards have new rules. On Sept. 8, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that eligibility standards for the Best Picture category will change, starting with the Oscars in 2024.
Source: "Academy Award Winner" by Dave_B_ is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The purpose of this rule change as stated by the official Academy website is “...to encourage equitable representation on and off the screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience.”
For the 2024 Academy Awards, a film must meet two of four inclusion standards. Each standard comes with a list of qualifications, and each film only has to meet one qualification under the standard.
Standard A has garnered the most media attention, requiring at least one lead actor and/or a supporting actor from an underrated ethnic group. At least 30% of actors in more minor roles must be played by women, an ethnic group, the LGBTQ+ community or people with cognitive or physical disabilities.
The final qualification of this standard is that the storyline or main subject matter of the film must revolve around women, a racial/ethnic group, the LGBTQ+ community or an individual with a disability.
Standard B involves creative leadership and project teams with at least one creative leadership position and department head being from an underrepresented group, six crew members from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group and at least 30% of the film crew must be from the four underrepresented groups laid out in the guidelines.
Standard C involves paid opportunities, with two interns being from an underrepresented group and either the film production, distribution or financing company must offer training or internships for underrepresented groups. Finally, there is standard D which is representation in marketing, publicity and distribution. Multiple senior executives must be from an underrepresented group.
These new rules were met with a series of reactions from Hollywood. Film producer DeVon Franklin, who led this initiative said, “It was a moment when the board said, ‘We, as the representatives of our constituents and the Academy, want to be a lighthouse for the future.’”
Despite many positive responses to this change, longtime Academy member and actress Kirstie Alley claimed these new rules as a “disgrace to artists everywhere.” She later deleted that tweet and rewrote, “I am 100% behind the diversity inclusion & tolerance. I’m opposed to MANDATED ARBITRARY percentages relating to hiring human beings in any business.”
This move follows the #OscarSoWhite controversy in 2015, and these guidelines could set the stage for further changes in the future.