Boycott Oscars: The Academy takes “historical” steps to increase its diversity – 20minutes.fr

CINEMA Given the lack of official data on the demographics of voting for the Oscars, some wonder if it will enough …

A statue of the Oscars. – Matt Sayles / AP / SIPA

MC with AFP

• • Published 01/23/2016 at 2:32
  • Updated 23/01/2016 at 2:32

After the storm of protests and boycotts, “the Academy will lead the way and do not wait for the catching sector delay “in terms of diversity. The statement of the president of the powerful Academy Awards, Cheryl Boone Isaacs. It announces a series of measures “historic” to open up more to women and ethnic minorities, including “a doubling by 2020 of female members or from” ethnic minorities.

& gt; & gt; Read also: We rewinds the controversy over the absence of black actors

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, herself black, said a few days ago have “broken heart and feel frustrated “by the slow pace of change in the institution while the Academy, composed overwhelmingly of older white men, is at the heart of a fierce controversy since it was unveiled for the second consecutive year exclusively white actors as Oscar nominees.

“Doubling the base,” but what basis?

The black director Ava DuVernay was one of the first to react Friday on Twitter “This is a good step in a long and complicated path for people of color and women artists”

All of these measures represent “a first step spectacular, but we do not know. yet if this will be enough, “said Tom O’Neil, founder of Goldderby.com Oscars prediction site. “Doubling the base” of members women from ethnic minorities “sends a powerful message,” he adds, but the Academy has never communicated the demographic composition of its members, it is difficult to know what it actually represents.

“These numbers are so low, is it sufficient to double? “

Tom O’Neil points out that a 2012 study

by the Los Angeles Times found that 77% of members of the Academy were men, thus doubling the number of women members would “therefore”. However, this study evaluated the black members 2% and Hispanics at even less, “these numbers are so low, is it sufficient to double? “He asks

Another key change announced Friday. New members will have the right to vote for ten years and not for life, and this right is renewable if the members were active in the cinema during the decade in question. The right to vote for life will be obtained after three decades active in industry or after obtaining an appointment or an Oscar.

Tom O’Neil considers that ” the Academy was to offload voting members who are no longer active or older who do not like movies like trendy ‘Straight Outta Compton “, biopic about the gangsta-rap group NWA, one of the big office success of the year but has not been included in the selection for the Oscar for best film.

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