The Academy's new Oscars inclusion requirements appear fairly 'easy to meet'


New rules are being implemented at the Oscars. So just how much will they change the show?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in June it would introduce new "representation and inclusion standards" to qualify for the Oscars, and the organization this week provided the details. Starting in 2024, to qualify for Best Picture, a film must meet two of four diversity standards, The New York Times reports.
The first standard pertains to on-screen representation, and to meet it, a film must either have one lead or significant supporting actor who is from an underrepresented group, have at least 30 percent of the actors in secondary roles be from underrepresented groups, or have a main storyline centered around an underrepresented group. The other three standards, however, relate to inclusion off screen among the creative leadership and crew, as well as in departments like marketing and distribution. The announcement of these rules was a significant moment in the history of the Academy, which has long faced criticism for the lack of diversity among its nominees.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, The New York Times' Kyle Buchanan notes it seems that "almost every film," including a movie like The Irishman that revolves around white men, "would still be nominated under the new guidelines." After all, the Academy is only requiring movies to meet two of the standards, and Buchanan observes that the last two regarding off-screen representation are quite "easy to meet" with a "robust internship program and a marketing department that's relatively diverse," and so ultimately, "less may change than we think."
Writer Mark Harris points out, though, that it may be "easier for studio movies to meet these standards" than independent films, since the studio movies can qualify just through their internship program and marketing department. Given this, and some other potential issues, Harris speculates that by 2024, the rules may be "relaxed just enough so that, guess what, basically every movie can meet them."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful north
The Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play