LOS ANGELES - In a year unlike any other, there is no denying the fact the Academy Awards would also be unlike any other.
It started with the COVID-19 pandemic, which tragically swept through the nation, killing upwards of half a million people, postponing normal thresholds of life. Hollywood was not immune; the virus decimated the thought of in-person events and forced reinvention and innovation upon the entertainment industry.
Not only were traditional award shows out of the question, but how were consumers supposed to watch the nominated films while being shuttered inside for months with cinemas closed?
And yet, to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a year unlike any other is not so bad because the Oscars are known for making headlines: good and bad.
Oscar buzz typically begins with nominations and crescendos until the live event. It can be hard to imagine a time when the Oscars were not the spectacle they are today. But in the beginning, they were simply a get-together for the major film heads of the twentieth century.
But despite the small-scale, the event was still a grandiose production with an ethereal quality to it. Stars dressed to the nines in glitz and glam and bumped elbows with Hollywood’s finest as guests watched those winners accept the most prestigious awards.
The International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was thought of by Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM Studios, as a way to benefit the film industry in 1927. A year later, the Awards of Merit were created where a committee suggested 12 award categories. Although it was conceptualized in 1928, the Awards of Merit weren’t implemented until 1929 when the first Academy Awards were held in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. The show only ran for 15 minutes and major winners of the night included “Wings” for best picture and “7th Heaven” for best writing.
From there, the Oscars grew year after year. But it also hit growing pains, becoming embroiled in multiple controversies.
At the 12th annual Academy Awards, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to ever win an Oscar. But due to segregation policies in the hotel, McDaniel and her escort were forced to sit in the back of the room away from the rest of her “Gone with the Wind” co-stars.
Even so, McDaniel was so honored by the win, she was moved to tears in her speech and acknowledged its cultural significance.
“It has made me feel very, very humble and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future,” she said. “I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel.” Then in 1973, the Oscars turned political when Marlon Brando refused his award for best actor in “The Godfather.” Brando was one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood at the time. Instead of accepting his award, Brando sent Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather to protest not only his award but the treatment of Indigenous Americans.
“He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award and the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry,” Littlefeather said while being booed from the audience.
From there it was almost as if the Oscars became synonymous with controversy.
In 1999, movie director Elia Kazan won the lifetime achievement award. But he did not receive a standing ovation. Instead, many chose to remain seated during his entrance. Kazan gained many enemies during the McCarthy era after he gave the names of his old friends to the House Un-American Activities Committee amid the Red Scare of communism, which prompted the controversial reaction to his dedication at the Oscars.
Then in 2003, director Michael Moore won best documentary feature for “Bowling for Columbine” and used his acceptance speech to criticize President George W. Bush for the war in Iraq. “We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons, whether it’s the fiction of duct tape or the fiction of orange alerts,” he said. “We are against this war, Mr. Bush! Shame on you, Mr. Bush! Shame on you!”
But it was not until 2015 when the Oscars controversies crescendoed to a climax.
Activist April Reign tweeted in January 2015 “#OscarsSoWhite they asked to touch my hair,” when the Academy did not nominate one person of color in any of the leading or supporting acting categories.
#OscarsSoWhite they asked to touch my hair. 😒
— April (@ReignOfApril) January 15, 2015
Reign said she created the hashtag to mock award shows for their lack of diversity. But even though the hashtag she created went viral and sparked a conversation on representation, it happened again a year later.
In 2016, the Oscars again failed to nominate a single actor or actress of color; many were shocked, disappointed, and upset. For an industry that prides itself on progressiveness, the biggest award show was a failure in representation. So, the backlash continued and #OscarsSoWhite trended again.
And for good reason. Since 1969, the Oscars have aired internationally to countries such as Australia, Canada, India, and South Africa among many others. Who the Academy nominates and chooses to win speaks volumes about representation and which voices matter.
In response to the controversy, in 2016, the Academy set specific inclusion standards to double the number of women and underrepresented communities in their membership by 2020. The Academy reached that goal in June 2020 by inviting 819 professionals into the industry with 45% of those newly added being women, 36% from underrepresented communities, and 49% international members.
The Academy then set new goals to meet by 2025, including inclusion and representation standards for the best picture category beginning in 2021.
Beginning this award season, the best picture category was capped at 10 nominees, instead of a fluctuating number as in years past.
The other rules for best picture were added in increments by the Academy. For 2022 and 2023, those wanting to compete in the best picture category must submit a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form for consideration.
By 2024, films must meet two of the four standards to be eligible for the award. Those standards include:
Within each standard includes further descriptions regarding the inclusion of underrepresented communities including women, minorities, LGBTQ+, and those with disabilities on and off the screen.
But some critics say these standards are still not enough and are too lenient. Vanity Fair found that every recent best picture nominee would have passed the new rules, leaving many to wonder: are these new standards doing anything?
Even though the Academy requirements do not fully begin for another award circuit, all eyes are on this year’s Oscars. The Screen Actors Guild Awards made history this year when the top film acting categories were all won by actors of color.
Viola Davis won for outstanding performance for a female actor, the late Chadwick Boseman won outstanding performance for a male actor, Daniel Kaluuya won outstanding performance for a supporting male actor and Youn Yuh-Jung won outstanding performance for a female supporting actor.
Many call the SAG Awards the precursor to the Oscars, a not-so-subtle winner before the Oscar winner is even announced. But this year, as many people watch to see who wins, it could also be said many will watch to see if the Academy keeps its promise toward better representation, or see themselves embroiled in yet another controversy.