Academy to ‘keep going’ with diversity efforts, president says

The Academy's largest and most diverse class of new members will increase its percentage of women and minorities only slightly, but president Cheryl Boone Isaacs says the group's stated goal of doubling diversity by 2020 is achievable.

“We’re going to just keep going,” she says. “When you set a goal, you really want to set a high one. Otherwise, what’s the point? This is a process we’re continuing until 2020. And we won’t stop then, either."

When pressed for specifics, Boone Isaacs says too much emphasis is being placed on how the Academy will hit its diversity goals. The more important thing is that conversations — and changes — are taking place.

“This isn’t about a ‘finish line’ in quotes. This is about a conversation that should continue to grow,” Boone Isaacs says. "The thing is not about numbers. It really is about inclusion and the conversation."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it had invited 683 new members — 46% of them women and 41% people of color — to join the voting group that gives out the Oscars. If all accept, the percentage of female members and members of color will rise to 27% (up 2%) and 11% (up 3%) respectively.

Increasing diversity has been a priority for the group since January, when the #OscarsSoWhite controversy erupted after all white actors were nominated for a second year in a row.

Academy's diverse new class includes Idris Elba, America Ferrera

This year’s invitees include Idris Elba, Star Wars: The Force Awakens stars John Boyega and Oscar Isaac; Birth of a Nation writer/director Nate Parker, America Ferrera, O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson and Michelle Rodriguez, along with Creed director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan.

Boone Isaacs says she's particularly proud of the directors branch, which sees an influx of international women among its 91 new members — Haifaa al-Mansour (Saudi Arabia), Amma Asante (Britain), Naomi Kawase (Japan), Deepa Mehta (India) and Patricia Riggen (Mexico), to name a few.

“This year, we wanted to make sure we reached out and say ‘We want you,’ " she says. "It just shows there's a lot of talent with women directors out there.”

The large class has its critics. The Hollywood Reporter wrote "among the newly invited, there are also a host of people whose merits for inclusion seem hard to defend," including TV actors (Ferrera), theater stars (Patti LuPone) and filmmakers whose movies "critics deplore and that the Academy would never recognize for awards" (Damon Wayans Jr., Keenen Ivory Wayans and Marlon Wayans).

Without addressing specific names (“It just gets into this subjective space that could go on forever”), Boone Isaacs insists that high standards were met in all 17 branches.

"Each branch sets its criteria for membership,” she says. “Whatever the criteria is, everyone on the list met it."

No A's for effort on H'wood's diversity report card

The Academy will continue to look inward at existing membership, including moving "inactive" members to emeritus, non-voting status. While controversial, Boone Isaacs says the change is a vital part of making sure the Academy is in touch with the current industry.

“There are people who entered the Academy and have moved on to totally other businesses," she says. "That’s what this is about.”

Most importantly, says Boone Isaacs, the Academy is taking part in a larger discussion about representation in the film business.

“The conversation about inclusion and changes to our industry — all good — is so prevalent,” Boone Isaacs says. “Everyone is talking, and that’s a really good thing.”