The Academy Establishes New Representation and Inclusivity Standards

As part of its Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, the Academy has announced the new standards and requirements needed in order to be eligible for a Best Picture nomination. For the Oscars scheduled for 2022 and 2023, a film will need to submit a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form to be considered for Best Picture. From 2024 onwards, the film will need to meet two of the four standards established to be eligible.

The first standard (labelled A), involves on-screen representation, and so to meet this standard, the film would need to have at least one lead actor from an underrepresented racial and ethnic group, or have at least thirty percent of the supporting cast be from an underrepresented group, or the main storyline is centred around the narrative of an underrepresented group.

Standard B deals with creative leadership and project teams, where at least two of the creative leadership positions must be from underrepresented groups, and of those two individuals, one needs to be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. Other alternatives include having at least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, or at least thirty percent of the crew comprised of members from underrepresented groups.

Standard C would require films to have paid apprenticeship and internship opportunities for these underrepresented groups, or the film’s production, distribution and/or financing company offers training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development to people from underrepresented groups.

The last standard (labelled D) involves representation in marketing, publicity and distribution, and for in-house executives to be from underrepresented groups.

So far, these changes are only for Best Picture, and all other Academy categories will keep their current eligibility requirements.