In what is a long time coming, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is set to create a task force to ensure the development of new inclusion standards for Oscar eligibility by the end of July. The films submitted this year will not be affected as the academy has not yet determined what the standards will be. The organization has also announced that it will cap the Best Picture nominations to 10 films instead of the fluctuating numbers that have been around since 2010.
While there was no limit as to how many years each governor on the organization’s Board of Governors can serve, the Academy has now announced that each governor will serve a maximum of 12 years. “The need to address this issue is urgent,” the academy’s chief executive, Dawn Hudson, said in a statement. “To that end, we will amend — and continue to examine — our rules and procedures to ensure that all voices are heard and celebrated.”
This comes almost four years after the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that rocked the prestigious awards ceremony in 2016 where artistes alleged that the academy was overlooking diverse talent and only focusing on white people and films that deal with them.