"The nominating body for the Oscars is to be radically shaken up following an outcry over the all-white shortlist for this year’s awards", informs The Times.
"The nominating body for the Oscars is to be radically shaken up following an outcry over the all-white shortlist for this year’s awards", informs The Times.
The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Cheryl Boone Isaacs said she was 'heartbroken' by absence of non-white acting nominees and promised 'big changes'. Her decision came after a social media campaign criticized the lack of black talent, with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.
Boone Isaacs said the academy has made changes in an attempt to diversify its membership in the last four years. However, she said the changes are not coming as fast as they would like, because it is needed 'do more, and better and more quickly'.
“The academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond", added Boone Isaacs.
The Guardian reports that Will Smith (Concussion), Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation), Benicio del Toro (Sicario), Michael B Jordan (Creed) and Samuel L Jackson (The Hateful Eight) were considered likely nominees in the acting categories but missed out.
Consequently, several major stars declared they will not be attending the ceremony at the end of the month.
