Misc.: The Diversity Oscar Award
Quite a big deal has been made about the lack of diversity in the nominations for actor and film in this past year’s Oscar awards celebration and rightfully so. The #OscarsSoWhite hashtag has been a viral sensation. And the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has recognized this problem but has appeared powerless to change it. After all, the nominations are made by popular vote and if the members select non-diverse nominees then the Academy must allow it.
To be fair, the Academy has attempted to diversify its membership in the hopes they will vote for more diverse talent. But there is a lack of diversity in the film industry in general making it difficult for voters to select a diverse slate, even if they wanted to. And then there is the old stigma facing any diverse nominee that they became a nominee as an affirmative action action and for some reason that makes them less qualified.
So rather than leaving diverse nomination up to chance or try to force it in and risk compromising critical integrity, why not simply make diversity its own award. In other words, recognize those filmmakers that create diverse storylines, casts, and even crews by offering a Diversity Oscar Award.
This is not an affirmative action Oscar, because no existing category is being diversified on purpose. Rather, diversity is the actual award itself. This creates an incentive to produce more diverse films because now there is an opportunity to receive critical acclaim for this choice in filmmaking. Simply nominating a film brings it extra attention and marketability.
The Academy could even go one better to encourage diversity and make it extremely competitive. For example, anyone that wins the Diversity Oscar then gets to have a “superdelegate” status in voting for the next year’s nominees in certain categories or even for the next several years. These “superdelegates” will receive higher voting weight, say 1% of the total vote, rather than their fractional share of the total number of voting members. While this award may risk becoming a “segregated” award, the “superdelegate” system will help push diversification faster than simply leaving it up to current member voting.
Browbeating the Academy certainly draws attention to the issue, but “more carrot” and “less stick” will likely earn more converts without the pitfall of perceived compromised standards.