“I want to thank the very most of all, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences, the Board of Governors, and all their members, whom many of you are here today. This has been a extraordinary journey in getting to know what the Academy is about and first and foremost, thank you Academy.” Melissa Leo’s 2011 acceptance speech [1]

Almost all Oscar winners include a shout out to the Academy for their award - but who exactly is the Academy?

To answer this question, a short history is in order. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded in 1927 by several titans of the film industry, spearheaded by MGM’s studio chief Louis B. Mayer and accompanied by star actors Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford and legendary producer Irving Thalberg.  The Awards of Merit committee was an early initiative for the Academy, and the first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929 to honor the previous year’s achievements in film. [2]

In modern times, the winners are determined by 6,000+ voting members of the Academy. Even though the composition of this body determines which films enter the elite pages of film history, the complete member list is not available.  The Board of Governors, however, is public knowledge and consists of 43 members, only 7 who are women; it is estimated that the Academy as a whole only represents 1.6% of minorities. [3]  The lack of diversity among the board not only gives context to the dearth of non-white actors nominated this year (it seems we haven’t come as far from Lena Horne’s time as the Academy would like to boast), but also sheds light on the Academy’s bent for selecting dramatic films.

Membership in the Academy is exclusive and only obtained through a special invitation from the Board of Governors coupled with sponsorship by two established members of the voting body. Invitations are extended to filmmakers whose work has been held in high esteem by his or her peers (sometimes expressed as an Oscar nomination); when that artist joins the Academy and exercises (usually) his power to vote for the awards, he will most likely vote for filmmakers that produce similar style of movies. Obviously, this is not true across the board, as surprise wins have demonstrated in the past, but for the most part, the Academy has created a self-perpetuating cycle of admitting members that prefer a specific style of filmmaking. 

For anecdotal evidence, every year I diligently compare my predictions on my Oscar ballot to the actual winners, and I consistently average around 50 percent. This year I was initially guessing abominably until I realized that I was selecting winners based on my own judgment and taste; once I shifted to the Academy’s traditional leanings, illuminated through the above demographics, my average shot up (final total at the end of the night: 54%).

Fortunately, in the modern day, social media has given voice to the masses - those who agree with the Academy’s decisions, those who don’t and those who revel in writing snarky comments about the host’s unbridled enthusiasm (I’m looking at you, Anne). Over 1.2 million tweets were posted during the broadcast, with the biggest spike occurring during the Auto-Tune montage, which was a transparent appeal to a younger demographic. [4]  While it is clear that the Oscars crave ratings, the Academy will not align with popular (read: box office) sentiment. If they did - James Cameron would have certainly swept The Hurt Locker under the rug with Avatar and Christopher Nolan would have walked away with the director award….twice.

And while I do respect the qualifications and distinguished career that is demanded of members in the Academy, I still object to the notion that a relatively small, homogenous group decides which movies enter into film canon (if we accept the premise that Academy Awards grant elite status). The Academy is not likely to shift its demographics nor its preferences in the near future; one can only hope that slowly (but surely) the pristine walls of the big awards - Best Actor/Actress, Best Director and finally, Best Picture with its 10 nominees, will begin to reflect the diversity of quality films that are released within a single year.

Either way, I will still be watching the Oscars next year - here’s hoping my average goes up. Cheers!

[1] “In Their Own Words: The Complete 2011 Oscar Acceptance Speeches” IndieWire. Link (28 February 2011)

[2] “Meet the Academy” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Link

[3] “News and Views: Three New African-American Members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (2004)

[4] Alexa Tsotsis. “The Oscars, On Twitter: Over 1.2 Million Tweets, 388K Users Tweeting” Tech Crunch. Link (28 February 2011)