The Academy Awards are changing the rules as to which films may qualify for Best Picture.

The rules can be found here:

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/oscars-unveils-representation-inclusion-standards-best-picture-category-72896854

The main thing of interest to me is this part :

A3. Main storyline/subject matter

The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s).

• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

You're only now allowed to write stories about those four things, if you wish to be considered for an Oscar.

This is scandalous. An Artistic body dictating in the narrowest ideological terms what creators are allowed to write and film.

This is totalitarianism.

This has to be a joke. Are you serious, Rick?

Will check out the link.
Oh, and nice to see you around btw.

I'm Pro opening up the field for inclusion of minorities but the dictating is discrimination in itself imho.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong but to me it means the film has to meet one of the 3 A criteria. So either the lead or significant support actor has to be diverse...or 30% of cast diverse...or the A3 you posted about the storyline. I don't think this is too hard to do. Then the B criteria is employing a diverse group behind the scenes.

None of it seems too crazy...unless I'm reading it wrong, which is possible.

None of this is hard to achieve. It's one of three "A"s, and A1 is simply:

At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.

� Asian
� Hispanic/Latinx
� Black/African American
� Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native
� Middle Eastern/North African
� Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
� Other underrepresented race or ethnicity

Pretty much any film set in contemporary times in the West could (and should!) meet this criteria. Period dramas set in the Western world are going to have aim for the one of the other's A's, but even then that's something we should be trying to do anyway.

Inb4 people start claiming this is going to impact the genre/stories/themes of movies being submitted for the Oscars - please actually read the criteria. It's very loose. You'd have to actually be trying hard not to meet at least one of them.

How are you supposed to tell any story about European history?

And who are other people to tell artists what they should write about?

If someone wants to tell a story about a group of monks living in Slovenia, and it's the greatest film ever, why should it be debarred based on arbitrary racial rules?

It's racist, it's totalitarian and it should be opposed.

Darn! There go's my script about a Cockroach and squid that attack androids on Mars.

Script rewrite: A physically disabled Cockroach and an African American squid attack bad of hearing androids in New York.   ;D  ;D

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films How are you supposed to tell any story about European history?

By writing it.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films And who are other people to tell artists what they should write about?

Luckily, no-one's doing that. They're just setting rules for their lame private club.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films If someone wants to tell a story about a group of monks living in Slovenia, and it's the greatest film ever, why should it be debarred based on arbitrary racial rules?

The Oscars aren't objectively finding "great" movies. All their rules are arbitrary.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films It's racist, it's totalitarian and it should be opposed.

This sort of hysteria is the reason their marketing department came up with this idea.

Quoted from BarryJohn Darn! There go's my script about a Cockroach and squid that attack androids on Mars. Script rewrite: A physically disabled Cockroach and an African American squid attack bad of hearing androids in New York.   ;D  ;D

Nice.  ;D

Okay, so I read through the whole thing (a couple times. The wording was a bit strange) and there are a lot of steps which have to be passed in order to qualify in any category. The way I understand it, you have to completely clear two of these categories in order to qualify. Condensed version for anybody interested, but not that interested:

1A. Lead POC (or major supporting. Left to interpretation).
1B. 30% of minor and other supporting have to be two of the following: Women, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, Black/African American, Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native, Middle Eastern/North African, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Other underrepresented race or ethnicity, LGBTQ+, People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing.
1C. Storyline/Theme/Narrative centered upon one of the groups in 1B.

2A. At least two roles on the BTS technical groups need to be led by one of the groups from 1B.
2B. At least six other lesser technical roles (less PAs) have to be from the group in 1B.
2C. 30% of the crew has to be from the group in 1B.

3A. Paid apprenticeships for the group in 1B, for most departments (more extensive for the Big 7).
3B. Skill training for BTL people in the 1B group.

4A. Multiple Senior Execs from the group from 1B working with Marketing, Publicity and Distribution.

I also read it as either/or. So, doesn't feel problematic.
A lot of recently nominated movies adhere to this.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood doesn't though I think. Did we need that one in the winners at all?

Oh, that news enraged Russian community for some reason. There are debates about it In every Russian screenwriter group. Funny.

Hmm.

Preamble - I am a left-wing, libtard, BLM supporting, Anthem kneeling, DACA loving, etc, etc, Democrat. Yet, I hate this kind of stuff.

If I can digress for a moment - it is kind of like the Biden selection of Kamala Harris to me (don't yell yet - I'm still percolating through this). So here's the thing. I'm from California and have voted for Harris for Senate. I think she is a fine VP candidate, BUT - the minute Biden stated (months ago) that he was going to select an African American female as VP I groaned.  I thought, Joe, why not just say you are going to pick the most qualified candidate period and when you select Harris everyone will belives that you picked the most qualified candidate who just happens to be African American female rather than the most qualified candidate among African American females. That's a bit long-winded - hope it makes sense.

Another issue is that one can meet the criteria by including a story that portrays one of the underrepresented groups in a negative light. Do they really want to give diversity credit for a film about a transgender serial killer?  IMO - Denzel Washington should have won the Oscar for Malcolm X (a positive figure in my view) not Training Day (a bad dude).  

Maybe that was why I was against Affirmative Action as constructed. Even is a life-long liberal I had no interest in giving rich anyone (Black, Asian, etc) a head start in things like college. I did have an intense interest in giving poor everyone (Black, Asian, White, etc.) a head start. We'd still have Affirmative Action today if it was simply economic-based rather than race-based. Linking back to movies - does one really think that Samuel L Jackson needs a created advantage in order to get a role????

So yeah - I applaud efforts to create opportunities for the underrepresented. Like if the Academy donated all of the commercial proceeds from the Oscar broadcast to their efforts in this area. What I don't applaud are efforts to change the definition of the word "best". Maybe I'd be okay if they revised it to Best Picture meeting the Academies Diversity requirements - and the Oscar goes to (sorry Glengary Glen Ross, Appollo 13, A Quiet Place, ......you're not in this category).  

So if you don’t care about your movie being considered for an Oscar you can write a movie on any subject you like.
So Slovenian Monks and Cockroach movies can still be written, they just won’t be Oscar worthy, like the vast majority of movies are anyway.

Quoted from eldave1 Hmm.  Preamble - I am a left-wing, libtard, BLM supporting, Anthem kneeling, DACA loving, etc, etc, Democrat. Yet, I hate this kind of stuff.

You're not the only one.

Biggest problem with the left is they don't know how to just take a win and call it a day.

Quoted from bert You're not the only one. Biggest problem with the left is they don't know how to just take a win and call it a day.

Exactly

Quoted from bert You're not the only one. Biggest problem with the left is they don't know how to just take a win and call it a day.

This sounds like a direct... and I mean painfully literally direct... response to #OscarSoWhite.

I'll be honest, I didn't even notice that all the nominees were white that year. Now, I think it's gotten ridiculous. I understand exactly where they're coming from, but it's ridiculous nonetheless.

For transparency's sake: I am a(n):

Anti-Trump

BLM supporting

LGBTQ suporting

Obama

Hillary

Biden

Harris

Pro choice

Pro education

Pro arts

Pro union

Pro middle class

Pro Dreamer

(Am I missing any?)

Democrat.