The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has instituted new diversity quotas that moviemakers must meet in order to have their work considered for the Best Picture Academy Award.
The Academy has set four representation categories, which will go into effect in 2024: “On screen,” “among the crew,” “at the studio,” and “in opportunities for training and advancement in other aspects of the film’s development and release.”
The “On Screen” category for example, calls for movies to have “at least one lead character or a significant supporting character be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.” Otherwise the film should have at least “30% of secondary roles be from two underrepresented groups,” or the film’s main story, theme, or message “must be focused on an underrepresented group.”
“The aperture must widen to reflect our diverse global population in both the creation of motion pictures and in the audiences who connect with them,” and added that “we believe these inclusion standards will be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry,” Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement.
Not every one in Hollywood is happy with the changes however.
Actress Kirstie Alley criticized the changes, writing on Twitter “The Academy celebrates freedom of UNBRIDLED artistry expressed through movies. The new RULES to qualify for Best Picture are dictatorial… anti-artist… Hollywood you’re swinging so far left you’re bumping into your own a**.”
Photo by BDS2006