The Oscars of 2021 will have a ranking slightly different from what The Academy has us used to. When they meet in July, after elections last month, for the first time in nearly 95 years of history, the majority of the board members will be women. A number that was increased from 26 to 31 a few years ago and that has also led to the number of racial and ethnic communities that are represented increasing today from 12 to 15, that is, 25%. Thus, for the first time, the Oscars board will be chaired by a vast majority of women, but how are these elections carried out?
There are three general governors who are appointed by the president of the board to take care of all those questions derived from diversity. The distribution of presidencies of a third of the seats passes through a vote every three years. Of these, only 4 will continue to serve as chairpersons of their distinctive categories on the board for three more years: Jennifer Todd , Producer Guild Manager, Tom Duffield in Production Design, Bonnie Arnold in Short Films, and Susanne Bier as Head of Producers Guild. the leading position of the directors.
This change is not so much due to a rudeness in the voting, since all those who sought re-election, got it. An example of this is the actor Alfred Molina , who will once again be Dr. Octopus in Spider-man: No way home and president of the actors branch, resigned from his re-election. The position of the most populated category of all the Oscars fell into the hands of Rita Wilson , who had tried several years to access one of the seats on the board. The remaining positions were totally vacated, as the rules of The Academy are quite strict with two key rules; serve more than two years in office without retiring at least two , for a subsequent election and the maximum total available stay of 12 years.
On the board for the 2021 and 2022 process it will include famous names such as Charles Bernstein, Whoopi Goldberg, Eric Roth, David Rubin, Steven Spielberg and up to 32 other names. These positions are in charge of sending the invitations to vote for each Oscar gala. Will this overwhelmingly female presence turn the Oscars board into an even more inclusive space, or is it an indifferent circumstance?
