Oscars push for diversity

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have invited a record number of new members to vote in next year’s Academy Awards,  as the first major step in reshaping its membership after the OscarsSoWhite controversy this year.

Actors Idris Elba, America Ferrera, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Eva Mendes and this year’s Best Actress Oscar winner Brie Larson were among the 683 potential new members, the academy said in a statement.

Forty-six percent of those invited are women and 41 percent are people of color, aged 24 to 91.

The organization responded by announcing a sweeping affirmative action program, pledging to double female and minority membership by 2020.

But the academy still has a long way to go to reach its goals, and the pace of new membership could be hard to sustain.

If all of the new invitees join, minority membership would rise to 11 percent from 8 percent, and the percentage of women would increase to 27 percent from 25 percent. Also Male membership currently stands at 75% and would slip to 73%. White membership would decrease from 92% to 89%.

Many observers have said the root problem lies not with the academy, but with the film industry at large and the lack of opportunities it provides for women and minorities.

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