Film academy boss denies ‘all-white’ Oscars claims
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RESPONDING for the first time to the firestorm of criticism over the lack of diversity in this year’s Oscar nominations, film academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said the all-white acting slate inspires her to accelerate the academy’s push to be more inclusive.
The first black president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences spoke out on Friday night in an interview about the Oscar nominations and the widespread criticism that followed.
All 20 of this year’s acting contenders are white and there are no women in the directing or writing categories. After the nominations were announced on Thursday morning, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite began trending on Twitter.
The Asian Pacific American Media Coalition issued a statement on Friday saying the balloting “obviously reflects a lack of diversity in Oscar voters as well as in films generally.”
Yet Boone Isaacs said the academy is “committed to seeking out diversity of voice and opinion” and that outreach to women and artists of color is a focus.
“In the past two years, we’ve made greater strides than we ever have in the past toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization through admitting new members and more inclusive classes of members,” she said.
“And, personally, I would love to see and look forward to see a greater cultural diversity among all our nominees.”
Boone Isaacs declined to address whether she and the academy were embarrassed by the slate of white Oscar nominees, instead insisting that she’s proud of the nominees, all of whom deserved recognition.
With all the accolades the civil rights drama “Selma” has received since its Christmas opening, some felt its failure to garner nominations for director Ava DuVernay or star David Oyelowo reflected a racial bias.
“What is important not to lose sight of is that ‘Selma,’ which is a fantastic motion picture, was nominated for best picture,” Boone Isaacs said.
Besides that, the film received just one other nod — for original song — in what was widely viewed as a snub. Boone Isaacs said the five best actor nominees — Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper”), Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”), Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) and Michael Keaton (“Birdman”) — “are all at the top of their game.”
“There are quite a few actors this year at the top of their game,” she said. “There are five nominees and this year, these were the five.”
Diversity outreach is spread among the academy’s 17 branches, she said, since existing members recruit new ones.
“This is a membership organization, so we are all involved in this discussion and moving the subject of diversity forward,” she said.
In its Friday statement, the Asian Pacific coalition said the responsibility for diversity in film should be industry-wide.
“It behooves Hollywood — as an economic imperative, if not a moral one — to begin more closely reflecting the changing face of America,” the statement said.
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