This Article is From Feb 24, 2016

#OscarsSoWhite: Academy Board to Rethink Awards System

#OscarsSoWhite: Academy Board to Rethink Awards System

A screen showing a still from The Revenant during the Academy Awards Nominations Announcement. (Image courtesy: AFP)

Los Angeles: The board members of the Academy Awards will meet on January 26 to fight perception that the Academy is 'racist' or 'elitist' following allegations by actors and commoners for the lack of diversity in its nominations, reports Variety.

The lack of diversity in nominations for the 88th Academy Award faced a lot of problems from actors and the public, thus the board members of the Oscars are meeting to discuss and come to a conclusion over the issue. (Also Read: George Clooney Reminds Academy They 'Used to be Better' at Diversity)

Insiders say that there may be 10 contenders in Best picture category after revision, due to the widely held opinion that Straight Outta Compton would have been selected if there were more than this year's eight. Another theory is that the preferential voting system for nominations may be changed, says the report in Variety.

Also, some members want to expand the number of nominations in acting categories to more than five.

Will Smith (for Concussion) and Idris Elba (for Beasts of No Nation) failed to get a nod and Academy members said that there other worthy contenders too for the slots.

There is also a strong possibility to rethink membership rules. "The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. A review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity," Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) told Variety on January 18.
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