News
DOJ moves to defend Trump in defamation lawsuit
Vaccine trial halted after participant has possible adverse reaction
Over 500,000 U.S. kids have tested positive for COVID-19, report says
Rochester police chief resigns after Daniel Prude’s death
Early winter storm hits Colorado after record heat wave
White House finalizing list of Trump Supreme Court picks
McConnell says Senate will vote on slimmed-down COVID bill
IRS: Up to 9 million people need to claim stimulus checks
New clue in Tiger King mystery: “I will put you in the grinder”
2020 Elections
Battleground Tracker: Latest polls, state of the race and more
5 things to know about CBS News’ 2020 Battleground Tracker
2020 Republican National Convention
Republicans see U.S. as better off now than 4 years ago: CBS News poll
Takeaways from the Democratic National Convention
With more mail-in ballots, officials urge patience on election night
Americans and the right to vote: Why it’s not easy for everyone
Democrats are happy with Biden’s VP pick: CBS News poll
Why some mail-in ballots are rejected and how to make sure your vote counts
What happens if the president doesn’t accept the election results?
Election Day could turn into “Election Week” with rise in mail ballots
Shows
Live
LIVE
More
Search
Live
Watch CBSN Live
The Oscars have come under fire the past few years for lacking in diverse nominees across its categories. On Tuesday, however, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that movies will now have to meet new representation and inclusion standards in order to be eligible to be nominated for Best Picture — one of the “Big Five” categories of the annual event — which may make #OscarsSoWhite a trend of the past.
The new standards are a part of the Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, and were “designed to encourage equitable representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience,” the Academy said in a statement.
Similar to years past, the 2020 Oscars were criticized for a lack of representation, with film critic Justin Chang noting the nominees felt like a “return, in a lot of ways, to a kind of a kind of white male nostalgia.” While about one-third of the nominees were women, there were no female nominees for Best Director, and only one person of color was nominated for one of the acting categories.
Change starts now. We've announced new representation and inclusion standards for Best Picture eligibility, beginning with the 96th #Oscars. Read more here: https://t.co/qdxtlZIVKb pic.twitter.com/hR6c2jb5LM
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) September 9, 2020
The changes will be phased in starting with the 94th Oscars in 2022. For the 94th and 95th ceremonies, a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form must be submitted for any film to be eligible for best picture, but they will not have to meet any specific standards those years. Starting in 2024, films will have to meet two out of four newly created standards to be eligible to win Best Picture.
The Academy said that these standards do not apply to other categories. CBS News was also told that eligibility rules are addressed annually, and may be subject to change in the future.
Per the Academy, the standards are as follows:
STANDARD A: ON-SCREEN REPRESENTATION, THEMES AND NARRATIVESTo achieve Standard A, the film must meet ONE of the following criteria:
A1. Lead or significant supporting actors
At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.• Asian• Hispanic/Latinx• Black/African American• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native• Middle Eastern/North African• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander• Other underrepresented race or ethnicity
A2. General ensemble cast
At least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from at least two of the following underrepresented groups:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
A3. Main storyline/subject matter
The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s).• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
STANDARD B: CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT TEAMTo achieve Standard B, the film must meet ONE of the criteria below:
B1. Creative leadership and department heads
At least two of the following creative leadership positions and department heads—Casting Director, Cinematographer, Composer, Costume Designer, Director, Editor, Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Producer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, Sound, VFX Supervisor, Writer—are from the following underrepresented groups:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
At least one of those positions must belong to the following underrepresented racial or ethnic group:• Asian• Hispanic/Latinx• Black/African American• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native• Middle Eastern/North African• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander• Other underrepresented race or ethnicity
B2. Other key roles
At least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. These positions include but are not limited to First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor, etc.
B3. Overall crew compositionAt least 30% of the film’s crew is from the following underrepresented groups:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
STANDARD C: INDUSTRY ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIESTo achieve Standard C, the film must meet BOTH criteria below:
C1. Paid apprenticeship and internship opportunities
The film’s distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships that are from the following underrepresented groups and satisfy the criteria below:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
The major studios/distributors are required to have substantive, ongoing paid apprenticeships/internships inclusive of underrepresented groups (must also include racial or ethnic groups) in most of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.
The mini-major or independent studios/distributors must have a minimum of two apprentices/interns from the above underrepresented groups (at least one from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group) in at least one of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.
C2. Training opportunities and skills development (crew)
The film’s production, distribution and/or financing company offers training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development to people from the following underrepresented groups:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
STANDARD D: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENTTo achieve Standard D, the film must meet the criterion below:
D1. Representation in marketing, publicity, and distribution
The studio and/or film company has multiple in-house senior executives from among the following underrepresented groups (must include individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups) on their marketing, publicity, and/or distribution teams.• Women• Racial or ethnic group
- AsianHispanic/LatinxBlack/African AmericanIndigenous/Native American/Alaskan NativeMiddle Eastern/North AfricanNative Hawaiian or other Pacific IslanderOther underrepresented race or ethnicity
• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
Be in the know. Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
View CBS News In
CBS News App
Safari