In September 2020, it was announced that the Oscar’s will implement new diversity and inclusion requirements for films that want to be nominated for the Best Picture Award. This new policy has been one of the few steps the Oscar Foundation has taken in the past few years to become more diverse.
This process first began five years ago when April Reign started the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag. This shout for change swept through social media, garnering attention from notable actors and directors alike. The following year we did see an uptake in BIPOC centered movies receiving awards in films like Crazy Rich Asians, Get Out, Coco, and Black Panther. The Oscar Foundation has also since made great strides to diversify their pool of eligible Oscar voters, including people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
However, by 2020, the Oscar’s returned to their white-washed roots when only one person of color, Cynthia Erivio in Harriet, was nominated. In response to the criticism, the Oscar Foundation announced the new diversity and inclusion requirements.
These standards are worded vaguely and loosely which makes them somewhat difficult to understand, but here is the general idea.
There are four standards. For a film to qualify for Best Picture, they need to meet two of the four standards. In order for a standard to be fulfilled, one standard subset needs to be met. For example, if a film has one nonwhite lead, the entirety of Standard A is reached. Each standard is associated with a different aspect of the film and can be fulfilled in a variety of ways. The policy also refers to “Underrepresented Groups” which they define as People of Color, Women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities.
Standard A – On Screen Representation
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Cast a nonwhite lead
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Center the plot on an Underrepresented Group
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Cast is made up of at least 30% Underrepresented Group members
Standard B – Behind the Screen Representation
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2+ department heads or leadership from Underrepresented Groups and one must be a POC
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6 POC crew members
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30% of crew from Underrepresented Groups
Standard C – Training Opportunities
*for this category to be fulfilled, both standards must be met.
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Production company must offer paid internships to people from Underrepresented Groups
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Must offer training opportunities for the production company’s lower-level jobs for people from Underrepresented Groups
Standard D – Marketing and Promotion
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Distribution company must have more than one department head from Underrepresented Groups
Needless to say, these standards have caused a variety of mixed reactions within the film industry. These reactions are split largely into three categories: those who find these new rules as a detriment to the creative process, other’s who support these standards and view it as a positive change for the Oscars Foundation, and those who are in support of the reforms, but believe the strides are not drastic enough.
I personally fall into the final category of opinion. Limiting any sort of creative process has its cons, but these new standards still allow white-washed films to win Best Picture. Some movies that would qualify are Marriage Story, La La Land, 1917, and the Irishman, all of which have an almost completely white cast.
If a movie is truly going to be considered the Best Picture, it cannot only focus on the one subset of society that already has ample representation in the media. An eye-opening and enlightening film needs a diverse set of minds to offer their perspectives. However, this is a sign that the Oscar Foundation is moving in the right direction. The new rules are very loose, but they could still work as a catalyst for change in the film industry by encouraging producers to prioritize diversity.