Oscars 2022: Outrage and praise as Academy set to DISQUALIFY films that aren't diverse enough
Like each year the Academy Awards return to bestows awards that should be considered prestigious but are slowly losing their significance. With the Oscars being called out for being a wokefest while simultaneously not recognizing underrepresented artists, each passing year brings in fewer viewers.
From Halle Berry who stands as the first and only black woman to win the best actress since 2002 to the snubs of many acclaimed watchers, the Academy continues to not do right by artists. This had led to the actors calling them out and addressing political and racial issues on stage which in turn was labeled the 'wokest ever' by fans. A change to be more inclusive was brought forth by the Oscars but remains a murky territory that may have been brought on too late. So read on to know what the new initiative is all about and what it means for the future of movies.
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What is the Aperture 2025 initiative?
The Aperture 2025 initiative is a move spearheaded by black filmmaker Ava DuVernay and developed by the academy to set criteria - which included diversifying nearly every aspect of a movie, ranging from the cast and crew to production, marketing, financing, distribution, and even internships by 30%. This move was passed in the year 2020 following the #OscarsSoWhite controversy which made waves of its blatant segregation of warding talent and basically means that the Academy of Motion Pictures will disqualify films from Best Picture contention that do not have enough black, gay, and disabled actors in the cast and crew.
The movie which was introduced to promote diversity had the opposite effect and has in fact been under constant fire and was called out as being introduced to increase its viewer ratings which have been constantly dropping, with the 2021 Oscars only drawing in in a meager 9.85 million viewers.
What does this mean for past and future nominees?
This move while attempting to bring in diversity also limits the creativity that goes into making a movie. The proposed standard could have kept last year's Best Picture winner 'Nomadland' from bagging an Oscar because of its all-white cast, even though it was directed by Asian filmmaker Chloé Zhao and many of this year's nominees like 'Power of the Dog', 'Licorice Pizza', 'Belfast' and more would also be in danger of missing out on qualifying. If two of the four standards aren't met the movies will automatically not be considered.
The sub-criteria are: the film must have at least one lead or significant supporting actor' from an underrepresented group, in an ensemble, there must be at least 30 percent of all actors in secondary and more minor roles who are either women, from a racial or ethnic group, from the LGBTQ+ community or people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing, with the second condition applying for the story as well. If any one of those criteria is met, a film achieves the first standard which focuses on 'on-screen representation, themes, and narratives. The second focuses on 'creative leadership and project team', the third on 'Industry Access and Opportunities', and the fourth on 'Audience Development' and have a similar base and mirrors the above subcriteria conditions in their respective fields.
The conditions which although inclusive are limiting, and have received flak. Here are what the industry people feel.
What does Hollywood have to say about the Aperture 2025 initiative?
After being announced in 2020, Oscar-nominated actor James Wood called the policy 'madness' with actress Kirstie Alle saying that it was 'dictatorial' and that the new diversity rules were 'anti-artist' and similar to 'telling Picasso what had to be in his f***ing paintings.'
Some insiders who didn't wish to be named said, "Instead of making it easier, they want to make it harder", "It's an exercise in making us apologize for history" and called the initiative out for bringing in politics to an event meant to celebrate creativity. Others even said that it spells the end for the Oscars and that instead of something that celebrates movies, the museum goes out of its way to make you feel bad.
The Oscars air live on ABC Sunday, March 27, at 8 pm ET.