Academy Members React to Rule Changes to Deal with Nominations Controversy
READ MORE: The Academy’s Diversity Problem is Complicated
It’s not only the anger at the lily-white nominations in major categories this year. It’s also the way the Academy will be represented on the Oscar show all over the world. Even though the largely white male, older membership has rewarded movies from “12 Years a Slave” to “Selma,” the board wants to increase diversity in its voting ranks and try to weed out members who are inactive. They want a younger, hipper voting body to put “Straight Outta Compton” and “Creed” —or “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”—on the ABC live telecast. The preferential ballot was partly responsible for creating a list of consensus Best Picture nominees, but changes in the Best Picture voting process—which keeps being tinkered with— have not yet been mentioned.
If you have been active for three ten year spans as a member, or won a nomination or an Oscar, you are able to vote for life, which protects many of the older members. But many, many Academy voters no longer work and are being summarily kicked out of an organization that prized them for their expertise.
“You work your ass off for 40 years to get enough credits to get into this organization,” said costume designer Jane Ruhm, “and then they kick you out. It’s a sad state of affairs. I’m done.”
A ten-year-member, Ruhm was active in the screening committee that books the films the members see throughout the year, as well as voting for foreign film, a group of voters from across the branches who tended to have the time to view multiple films a week. “The Academy is the whipping boy for the industry, which is fucked up and doesn’t hire women and minorities,” said Ruhm. “And I am paying for it, which is unfair. It kills me. It makes me feel so bad.”
Other Academy members are upset by this unilateral action that was taken in haste without their input. Publicist Bruce Feldman, who is protected by the 30-year rule, wrote emails to his governors begging them to listen to the members before taking a vote, he said: “This is not about the reforms, these are serious issues. They didn’t communicate with the membership about what they were thinking about or solicit feedback. We are a membership organization. It’s a failure of governance as far as addressing issues in the right way. Engage fully with the members and then act.”
The Academy will be taking on a process to establish the status of their membership, which may be challenging for consultants, writers and producers —how will they be judged? On developing projects, income, or credits? Many people like Ruhm also accumulate many credits in television, not film.
As far as I can figure it, these rule changes are most likely to impact middle-aged boomers who are nearing retirement but haven’t been members that long—who would have had years of voting ahead of them—while protecting their elders who have safely fulfilled their three active decades.
Read the president’s letter to Academy members below.
Dear Member,
I realize the last few days have been tough for all of us,
with so many voices in the mix.
Last night, the Board of Governors made a series of
courageous steps.
Beginning later this year, each new member’s voting status
will last ten years, and will be renewed if that new member has been active in
motion pictures during that decade.
In addition, members will receive lifetime voting rights after three
ten-year terms; or if they have won or been nominated for an Academy
Award. We will apply these same
standards retroactively to current members. In other words, if a current member has not been active in
the last 10 years they can still qualify by meeting the other criteria. Those who do not qualify for active
status will be moved to emeritus status.
Emeritus members do not pay dues but enjoy all the privileges of
membership, except voting. We have
no reason to believe this will affect you receiving screeners. This will not affect voting for this
year’s Oscars.
We are confident this is a
necessary step in the right direction and we appreciate your support with this
endeavor as we work out the details in the coming weeks and months. We will be in touch with you regularly
to update you on specific changes.
Here’s more from the announcement today:
Along with Boone Isaacs, the Board’s Membership and Administration Committee, chaired by Academy Governor Phil Robinson, led the efforts to enact these initiatives.
