By Wadha Al Maeeni
For the past 91 years, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been criticized for a lack of diversity in Oscar nominations. However, on Feb. 10, a historic win reflected the efforts of The Academy to internationalize its membership.
The Academy vowed to diversify in the wake of #OscarsSoWhite. That means that The Academy will be growing its number of members from around the world.
And they did keep their word as their overseas membership has expanded dramatically. Just last year, The Academy invited 842 movie industry professionals from around 60 countries to become members.
It’s apparent that the outcry and criticism that The Academy received helped change the narrative by celebrating the South Korean dark comedy-thriller “Parasite.” This shows how the voting power from the diverse members in The Academy might have played a role in helping “Parasite” do so well.
According to “the Oscars 2020 Predictions by “The New York Times,” the movie critic Kyle Buchanan hoped that “Parasite” would win. Still, he predicted that “1917” would win to play it safe as Oscars’ inclination is largely to stick to tradition.
Not only did “Parasite” get Hollywood’s top trophy, but it also snatched three other awards breaking the record for most Oscar wins for an international feature film.
“Parasite” was the unexpected victor at the 92nd Academy Awards. A plot-twist win that shows that Hollywood is at last opening its mind to the world.
