This year's Oscars nominations have gained numerous headlines because it was the second year in a row where, in all four acting categories, there were no non-white nominees. It has been proven that there's little to no diversity in the voting process of the prestigious Oscars and Hollywood has raised their voice, saying that they've had enough.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, is the first African-American female to be given the job title and is currently on her second term. She is known for keeping up with the changes that occur in the film industry, and now she is known for taking immediate action towards keeping the Academy's reputation under control, while also modernizing its membership policies.
For those who don't know how to become an Academy member, here are three ways you can: get nominated for an Oscar, get sponsored, or get recommended by two members. Voting members are sponsored by the committee or staff, and you must be invited by the Academy. Unfortunately, the Academy is not a membership you can simply apply to. You can say it only for the elite and important figures in the industry. But after the long process, you can consider yourself a member unless you retire, resign, or pass away.
According to a 2013 Los Angeles Times article entitled "Diversity efforts slow to change the face of Oscar voters," the Board of the Academy and the president have been trying to bring in new members that are women and minorities. But as proof of this year's scandal, their efforts have not shown results. The LA Times decided to do a survey to find out the demographics of the members, since the Academy does not release that kind of information. In the article, it is found that: "Even with the 432 new voting members, the overall academy is still 93 percent white, a decrease of less than 1 percent from what The Times found in a 2012 membership study, and 76 percent male, also a less than 1 percent decrease from what The Times found two years ago." It seems as if the Academy is moving backwards and not forward. It was also found that the average age for a voting member is from 62 to 63 because of the lifetime membership.
In the past few weeks, Hollywood directors and actors have spoken out about the problems occurring within the film industry. Two-time Academy nominee, Honoree Oscar recipient, and film director, Spike Lee, spoke with GMA's George Stephanopoulos and said, "It goes further than the Academy Awards. It has to go back to the gatekeepers. The people who have the green-light vote," Lee said. "We’re not in the room. The executives, when they have these green-light meetings quarterly where they look at the scripts, they look who’s in it and they decide what we’re making and what we’re not making." Mr. Lee brings out a point that the problem is not only the Academy, but the industry as a whole in not giving minorities a chance for those big Blockbuster movie roles. Every group of minorities should be given an equal opportunity to play a wide range of characters and not be stereotyped into their ethnicity's history.
On Jan. 22, the Academy released a press release stating a historic change. The voting membership will no longer be for life, but instead every 10 years voting statuses for each member will be reviewed. The membership will only be renewed if the artist has stayed active in motion pictures. The press release also stated that, "Members will receive lifetime voting rights after three ten-year terms; or if they have won or been nominated for an Academy Award."
There is no ending to this issue, only progress. The Board of the Academy has made their move, and only time will tell if Hollywood studios catch up.
