https://twitter.com/AVAETC/status/690633312671379457
Some proponents of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign have responded positively to the Academy’s announcement on Friday, in which they promised changes to voting structure and recruiting tactics to increase diversity.
The Hollywood Reporter quotes the woman who started #OscarsSoWhite, April Reign, as calling the changes “encouraging.” She still does not plan on watching the ceremony, however. Al Sharpton tweeted that he was consulting civil rights leaders on the changes.
Ava DuVernay posted her letter from the Academy announcing the changes, calling them “one good step in a long, complicated journey for people of color + women artists.” The letter reveals more details of these changes. For instance, the new rule of reviewing each member’s voting privileges every ten years (and granting them lifetime voting status after three ten-year terms) will apply retroactively to current members. Members who haven’t been active in the film industry after ten years can still qualify for voting through other criteria.
DuVernay also tweeted about how the Academy finally acted because they felt shamed into doing so.
https://twitter.com/AVAETC/status/690635024287174656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/AVAETC/status/690636448656060416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/AVAETC/status/690637921276207104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
DuVernay was famously snubbed last year in the Best Director category after directing Selma to critical acclaim, an outcome that she herself predicted given the overwhelming “white maleness” of directors in Hollywood.
(via Hollywood Reporter)
