A few months ago, I talked about how BAFTA was introducing a BFI Diversity Standards for 2021 British Game prize and how insane that was! Well, it seems the trend is starting to pick up steam as the Oscars now is looking to implement their own rules, and it’s bad!
After the BAFTA thing, I feared that the rest of the award ceremonies would follow suit and I was right! According to the Oscars own new standards, to achieve Standard A for Best Pictures, the film must meet ONE of the following criteria:
- 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 at least two of the following underrepresented groups.
- The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s).
- At least two of the following creative leadership positions and department heads — Casting Director, Cinematographer, Composer, Costume Designer, Director, Editor, Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Producer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, Sound, VFX Supervisor, Writer — are from the following underrepresented groups.
- At least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. These positions include but are not limited to First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor, etc.
- At least 30% of the film’s crew is from the following underrepresented groups.
The list goes on like that, you can check it out yourself here.
Not only is this a massive restriction of the creative side of telling a story, and hiring the best person for the job, but this will only lead to resentment among peers, and even among people! Trust me, it’s difficult to see what I’m saying but if this keeps up, it’s going to do more damage and harm than good! The stories will suffer, creativity and new ideas will suffer, people will suffer from a lack of freedom! This will not sit well for anyone! This not diversity that will lead to a brighter future! Truth be told, I feel like they’re doing this on purpose to show the world that diversity can not work, as if they’re sabotaging it to make a point!
According to Variety during an interview:
Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said in a joint statement, “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.” They continued, “the Academy is committed to playing a vital role in helping make this a reality.”
The mindset is there, but the execution is so wrong! What do you guys think? Let me know it the comments below!
SIDE NOTE: My debut light novel Red Rapture: Born Blessed To Walk A Cursed Reality! preorder page has gone up! If you’re into things like Fullmetal Alchemist, HunterXHunter, or Naruto then this light novel is right up your alley! You can pre-order it now on Amazon Kindle, and if you do please leave a review when it comes out!!!!
