(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the number of Best Picture nominees will be set to precisely ten, starting with the 94th Academy Awards in 2021. The previous number of nominees was set at a minimum range between five and ten since 2011.
For years, people have demanded that the Academy have more diversity in their Awards season, with the Oscars mainly going to white actors and filmmakers. These new initiatives made by the Academy were made in response to this controversy popularly by #OscarsSoWhite five years ago.
While the previous number of Best Picture nominees could be up to ten choices, there have been years where there have been less than ten. With the number of nominations set to exactly ten films, there will be more opportunities for filmmakers of different race and gender to win Best Picture.
The Academy has also announced their plan to double the number of women and people of color among its membership with their next phase of “equity and inclusion initiative. This plan, dubbed “Academy Aperture 2025,” will tie Oscar eligibility to new representation and inclusion standards set by a group of industry leaders by July 31, 2020.
For the Academy’s full announcement, click here.
