As the list of prominent no-shows at this year’s Academy Awards continues to grow, the group’s president Cheryl Boone Isaacs has released a statement detailing how they’ll address their lack of internal diversity.
In the statement, Boone Isaacs says “the Academy is going to lead and not wait for the industry to catch up,” which is a little odd, considering the Academy more-or-less represents the industry as a whole anyway. To implement the increased board diversity, they’re scouting for industry talent outside of the norm:
“The Academy will supplement the traditional process in which current members sponsor new members by launching an ambitious, global campaign to identify and recruit qualified new members who represent greater diversity.”
In addition, ongoing membership criteria has changed, as new members will be granted 10 years of voting status before they’re up for review. The intention, of course, is to keep the voting body in-tune with the cultural climate while still celebrating high-quality cinema.
Read the full statement below:
Source: New York Times / The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences.
Photo: Al Seib / Getty.
