The Oscars is making 10 movies eligible for the best picture category from now on to try to diversify nominees
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Friday that it will make 10 movies eligible for best picture from now on.
- Previously, best picture nominees have ranged from five to 10 titles depending on a voting system.
- The Academy also said it will "implement new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility" in hopes to make nominees more diverse.
On Friday, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which runs the Oscars, announced that beginning at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021 the number of movies eligible in the best picture category will always be 10.
This follows years where the rule has allowed five to 10 titles to be nominated in the category. The final number has always been based on a tiered voting system. From now on, the number will always be 10, which will open the field for a wide range of titles.
The Academy is also hoping the move will lead to more diversity in the nominees, especially after being called out by people with the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag from past award shows.
At the 92nd Academy Awards, which "Parasite" won, there were nine nominees. The last time the Oscars had 10 nominees in the best picture category was the 83rd edition in 2010. That year the nominees were "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," " The King's Speech" (which won the Oscar), "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," and "Winter's Bone."
The nominees will be taken from a very wide field for the 93rd Oscars because due to the coronavirus pandemic that has halted theatrical releases the Oscars will allow for the first time movies that didn't have a theatrical release in 2020.
The Academy also announced on Friday that it will play a more active role in making the movies eligible for Oscars be more diverse by setting up stricter term limits to its board of governors, workshops encouraging diverse hiring, and, as the release states, "implement new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility."
"While the Academy has made strides, we know there is much more work to be done in order to ensure equitable opportunities across the board," said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in Friday's release. "The need to address this issue is urgent. To that end, we will amend — and continue to examine — our rules and procedures to ensure that all voices are heard and celebrated."
Friday's announcement comes on the heels of "Selma" actor David Oyelowo stating last week that Academy Awards members refused to vote for the movie because he and the cast wore "I Can't Breathe" shirts to the movie's premiere in 2014 in the wake of the death of Eric Garner by a white police officer.