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Oscars slammed for new inclusion and diversity requirements for Best Picture eligibility: 'This is a disgrace'

Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said, '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'

Oscar hopefuls will now have to meet a new set of inclusive standards in order to qualify for the award for the Best Picture, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) released a set of new guidelines for the films to get nominated in the category. 

"To encourage equitable representation on and off-screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience," films will have to meet minimum requirements pertaining to representation and inclusion to be eligible for the Best Picture Oscar beginning with the 96th Oscar race (which will recognize achievements from 2024 and be held in 2025), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on September 9, 2020.

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.” 

The policies will only become mandatory for the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, which will give would-be contenders three years to make sure they meet at least two of the four categories below that are designated A, B, C, and D.

Standard A: On-screen representation, themes and narratives

Standard B: Creative leadership and project team

Standard C: Industry access and opportunities

Standard D: Audience development

As soon as the news of the new 'inclusions' came in, people started reacting to it on social media. One user commented, "The academy/oscars eligibility rules make no sense because there will always be a way around them... each section saying "women" as marginalized group so then white women apply which isn't diversity so we're back to where we are now ?" Actress Kirstie Alley called it a 'disgrace' and said, "This is a disgrace to artists everywhere...can you imagine telling Picasso what had to be in his f**king paintings. You people have lost your minds. Control artists,control individual thought .. OSCAR ORWELL"

Filmmaker Dean Cain asked, "How about we judge on this criteria-- which film was the BEST PICTURE? (also, when do we start handing out participation Oscars?)" Richard Grenell said, "The Democrats controlling Hollywood demand changes to the Oscars. It’s no longer the Best Picture, it’s the Most Politically Correct Picture."

One distressed user wrote, "This isn’t how art works. How much is spent on the Oscars? I bet the money spent on the presenters ‘goody’ bags could alone finance one great film by underrepresented artists."

Meanwhile, another user wished to 'remind' something to the industry, as they wrote, "Seems like a good time to remind industry folks that there's a sea of scripts out there that already meet those new Oscar requirements without even trying. Because this is how diverse writers naturally tell their stories. Hire them."

A producer shared the new guidelines and said, "As a producer, I fully support @TheAcademy´s new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility. Please, read the new guidelines to understand the complete extent of the initiative and why is so important." Another commended the new rules saying, "The Oscars new Best Picture criteria is interesting and good overall. I appreciate the inclusion of disability in several categories and yet the first category seems to be without said inclusion. Roles of disabled people/characters are still up as Oscar bait for abled actors."