Due to the coronavirus emergency, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is postponing the 2021 Oscars to April 25 rather than the usual late February date. The eligibility period will also extend to February 28 instead of late December to account for the months in quarantine. As the United States confronts a pandemic and increasing attention on systemic racism at all levels of our society, the more interesting question is how (or if) will this high caliber ceremony systematically change to address its own history of racism and cultural bias and how (or if) the nominees will reflect a more diverse collection of perspectives.
The question is: what role will the academy play in amplifying BIPOC voices in the industry?
The pandemic has largely put a pause on film productions across the board, not just mainstream Hollywood. Due to this reality, the Academy will now consider films that premiered digitally and those which did not have a seven-day run in Los Angeles theaters as is typically required for consideration. The delay is good news for those who can run expensive movie campaigns, which is necessary after the cancelation of the Cannes Film Festival among others that are platforms for movies to promote themselves. Meanwhile, indie releases remain under the radar. Vox writer Alissa Wilkinson writes, "It's either the built-in marketing of a franchise film that brings a movie to the average audience member's attention, or it's the imprimatur of the Oscars that tells you this movie is 'important' in some way." She argues that instead, the Oscars should amplify movies the public would have otherwise missed.
Perhaps the 2021 edition of the Oscars will amplify films which have been released on streaming services and are now eligible for nominations but are often overlooked year after year. Even without the extension, there are plenty of eligible movies. IndieWire outlines the current 20 best movies; the list is overwhelmingly white with few exceptions including Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods which is already being predicted to be nominated for Best Picture.
The academy's chief executive, Dawn Hudson, tells The New York Times "For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year." That's an understatement if I have ever seen one. Art often reflects the pulse of society at the given moment, so it's undeniable that in-progress films are bound to discuss systemic racism and police brutality. The question is: what role will the academy play in amplifying BIPOC voices in the industry?
Following the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests across the country, the Academy is taking seemingly more concrete steps towards change by developing on an initiative called "Academy Aperture 2025," which aims to increase diversity and inclusion in the organization itself, as well as the films nominated. However, the new initiative will not be in effect for the 2021 Oscars, but four years later in 2025.
CEO Dawn Hudson's words refer to the organization's performative changes, but not systemic changes, which, hopefully, the new Aperature will address.
On their website, the Academy outlines Aperature 2025 which will include unconscious bias training, making the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures an anti-racist organization, establishing an Office of Representation, Inclusion, and Equity, as well as continuing partnerships with diverse suppliers and investors. The Academy will also set a ten movie requirement for Best Picture, a category that often oscillates between five and ten each year. This movie could increase the likelihood that films with non-white stars or creators are nominated.
Part of the new program will also include a series of panels discussing race and ethnicity entitled "Academy Dialogue: It Starts with Us," a talk led by board member Whoopi Goldberg that will discuss racist stereotypes in films, and a 12-term maximum for members on the Board of Governors. Director Ava Duvernay and Oscars producer Lynette Howell Taylor are now on the board of governors, increasing the number of female governors to 26 out of 54 and POC to 12.
Dismantling racism (in the film industry and everywhere) comes from alterations in how a system functions, not surface level posts on social media.
In addition to diversifying the board of governors, the academy welcomes 819 artists and executives to become members this year, doubling the number of women members and tripling the number of underrepresented ethnic and racial communities. However, only 19% of the current members are POC.
CEO Dawn Hudson explains that "while the Academy has made strides, we know there is much more work to be done in order to ensure equitable opportunities across the board." The Best Picture awards that went to Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave and Barry Jenkin's Moonlight were moments of hope in the 93-year-old organization, but the fact remains these are the only two films by Black directors to have ever won Best Picture. Not to mention, no Black director has ever won Best Director, nor have any Black women even been nominated in this category. Hudson's words refer to the organization's performative changes, but not systemic changes, which, hopefully, the new Aperature will address.
WRITTEN BY
Elizabeth Berry