The Oscars are making some much-needed changes. On Thursday, the board of governors behind the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences met to discuss the next phase of their ensuing equity and inclusion initiative, which began in 2015 following the much-publicized #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Today, they’ve announced Academy Aperture 2025, a renewed initiative that involves a number of new protocols and adjustments. The most integral of them all is a ruling that pairs Oscar eligibility to representation and inclusion standards, the likes of which will be developed and implemented by a new task force. That’s not all. The Oscars will once again return to a guaranteed total of 10 Best Picture nominees, there will now be a “quarterly viewing process” to ensure year-long considerations...
Not even the Oscars are immune from the ensuing pandemic. According to Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may postpone the 93rd Academy Awards, set to go down on February 28th of next year. “It’s likely they’ll be postponed,” a source told the publication, while also contending that any definitive plans are far from concrete. Not surprisingly, the Academy declined to comment. Back in April, they announced that films released digitally can qualify to compete, a drastic amendment from their prior requirement of films having a seven-day theatrical release in Los Angeles County. However, with the entire industry still in flux — from production to distribution — it’s still unclear what films will even be released before year’s end. That uncertainty no doubt weighs heavily ...