Academy Boosts Diversity: 2018 Oscar Nominations More Diverse Than Ever Before

According to the Hollywood Reporter the 2018 Academy Awards nominations, for director especially, are much more diverse than recent years. Announced earlier this week, nominees for the 90th Annual Academy Awards include actors of color in major acting categories along with men of color and a woman nominated for directing. The #OscarsSoWhite hashtag which was trending throughout the last several years has not seen a major comeback this year. This step towards a more diverse Awards Show occurs after The Academy of of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences faced backlash for nominating all white actors in leading acting categories 2016 and 2015.

Though Academy membership is 87 percent white, the nominees for this years broadcast include the first female cinematographer (Rachel Morrison, Mudbound), the first African American woman nominated for best screenplay (Dee Rees, Mudbound), and only the fifth woman nominated for best director in the history of the Oscars (Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird). The best director nominees also include Mexican native Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water), and Jordan Peele (Get Out).

April Reign, creator of the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag said "#OscarsSoWhite is non-binary, so it's not just about race, it's also about age and sexual orientation and people from the first-nation community and women in gender-neutral categories," Reign also added "I do believe some of the things we are seeing this year are a direct result of the Academy becoming more diverse, that's because, at least in part, of the pressure placed on it by #OscarsSoWhite. We have more people of color in the Academy, more women in the Academy, and the demographic is becoming slightly younger as well. Because these folks are newer to the Academy, it stands to reason that they will be more interested in viewing films outside of their comfort zone. We're seeing more diversity than we have in the past, but there's still a long way to go."

For a complete list of 2018 Oscar nominees, click here

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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