Oscars Announce New ‘Inclusion’ Standards For Best Picture Revolving Around ‘Underrepresented Groups’
By Hank Berrien - The Daily Wire
https://i.imgur.com/Dz8Ksbal.jpg
On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences announced that for any film to be nominated for Best Picture starting in the year 2024, new standards of inclusion must be met.
“Those standards require one of the following: at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group; at least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from certain underrepresented groups; or the main storyline, theme or narrative is centered on an underrepresented group,” The Los Angeles Times reported, adding:
To be eligible for best picture, a film must meet at least two standards across four categories: “Onscreen Representation, Themes and Narratives,” “Creative Leadership and Project Team,” “Industry Access and Opportunities” and “Audience Development.” Within each category are a variety of criteria …
Academy President David Rubin and Chief Executive Dawn Hudson stated, “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. The Academy is committed to playing a vital role in helping make this a reality. We believe these inclusion standards will be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry.”
In past years, the only criteria used for Best Picture requirements were to last over 40 minutes and rules about how, where and when it would be shown publicly.
Under “Onscreen Representation, Themes and Narratives” (Standard A), there are three choices from which to choose, as following:
According to the Academy, the racial or ethnic groups that are acceptable as ‘underrepresented racial or ethnic groups” include actors that are:
Asian
Hispanic/Latinx
Black/African American
Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native
Middle Eastern/North African
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
The 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles must come from these groups:
Women
Racial or ethnic group
LGBTQ+
People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
The main storyline/subject matter must revolve around one of these groups:
Women
Racial or ethnic group
LGBTQ+
People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
The other standards have similar perspectives.
The audience for the Oscars has steadily declined over the last 20 years. Here are the numbers:
2020: 23.6 million
2019: 29.6 million
2018: 26.5 million
2017: 32.9 million
2016: 34.4 million
2015: 37.3 million
2014: 43.7 million
2013: 40.3 million
2012: 39.3 million
2011: 37.9 million
2010: 41.3 million
2009: 36.3 million
2008: 32.0 million
2007: 40. 2 million
2006: 38.9 million
2005: 42.1 million
2004: 43.5 million
2003: 33.0 million
2002: 41.8 million
2001: 42.9 million
In August 2019, during a speech in Pennsylvania, President Trump ripped the Academy Awards and their ratings, stating, “The Academy Awards is on hard times now. You know why? Because they started taking us on. Everyone got tired of it. That used to be second after the Super Bowl, and now all of a sudden it’s just another show, because people got tired of people getting up and making fools of themselves and disrespecting the people in this room and the people that won the election in 2016.”
