The Oscars’ diversity rules pit merit against equity

By Adrianna Bean

THE MIRROR STAFF

The Oscars are a momentous occasion, filled with predictions, thematic parties and extravagant red carpet looks. Tearridden, time limit-testing speeches are broadcasted to the world as an artist’s career is forever changed.

However, some choose not to watch them because they believe the selection of nominees and films are not diverse enough.

Following continuous backlash from many on the internet, the Academy of Motion Pictures released a set of representation and inclusion standards for filmmakers in 2020.

The new rules regarding diversity and inclusion will be instituted for the Oscars 2024. This has left some people angry and frustrated, while others are shocked it took so long.

Films must meet at least two out of the four sets of criteria order for the film to be eligible for a Best Picture nomination.

These requirements span a vast list of criteria surrounding inclusion in front of and behind the camera. This entails the inclusion when it comes to casting main characters, developing storylines and providing access to internships, training or work experience opportunities. The list also features inclusion when hiring executives in creative development, marketing or publicity.

These fields must include a certain number of people from under-represented groups such as women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, various racial identities and people with mental or physical disabilities.

Many projects already unintentionally fill the requirements.

Oscar buzz can bring an increase in sales during nominations, and winning Best Picture is even better for marketing. These new rules may encourage writers and producers of all diverse groups to tell their stories, knowing that their projects will be seen and heard.

Scott Young, a retired former Filmmaker Liaison Senior Rater for CARA (Classification and Ratings Administration) at the MPA (Motion Pictures Association), looks forward to seeing the stories out there waiting to be discovered.

“In over 30 years of screening approximately over some 20,000 plus films, I saw a lot of folks that looked like me, directors that looked like me and producers that looked like me,” Young said. “The Academy is trying to make amends, right a wrong. Personally, I feel anything to advance a more diverse, a more realistic view of the multicultural world we live in, in the movies we watch, the businesses we run, the art we enjoy and the sports we play, I say ‘Right on!’ As a child of the 60s, raised in a very segregated community in

Southern Ohio, I say it’s about time.”

However, some believe that diversity has to happen naturally, and that by including minorities only to fill a diversity requirement, there is a chance that characters will become forced and lifeless.

Many claim that pushing toward equity unfairly favors chosen groups without a reason other than an unchangeable factor of their being. Others claim that meritocracy is impossible in a place that is constantly pushing minorities down, and that it is necessary to lift these groups of people up.

The overall acceptance of these standards marks a change in popular thought, and a general trajectory towards a society that favors inclusion. But despite the positive intentions, this criteria comes with obvious drawbacks.

However, one thing is for sure: for now, if you want Best Picture, these are the rules.

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