Hollywood paves the way for diversity and representation

September 25, 2020

Hollywood paves the way for diversity and representation

Joep Schot
September 25, 2020

Hollywood paves the way for diversity and representation

Will old mistakes continue to be made?
Joep Schot
September 25, 2020

Hollywood paves the way for diversity and representation

September 25, 2020

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced that, from 2024 onward, movies must meet newly imposed diversity criteria to be considered for Best Picture, the final and most prestigious Oscar of the world-famous award ceremony. To be precise, at least 30% of cast members, production and distribution teams must be part of underrepresented groups based on race, gender, sexuality and disability status to evade ineligibility.

The announcement coincided with the premiere of Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan, which stars Chinese-American actress Yifei Liu. Many celebrated the casting of Liu, mindful of the successful anti-whitewashing petition and #OscarsSoWhite activism that preceded it. Mulan does, however, cover another chapter of racial supremacy, namely China’s oppression of its northern, Mongolic peoples, to which many historians believe Hua Mulan belonged. Liu, conversely, belongs to the hegemonic Han people; the financial advantages of appeasing the Chinese government impede the ethnic representation the very same industry is trying to foster at home. Unsurprisingly, there seems to be no easy fix in this complicated world of race politics.

About the author(s)
After studying business administration at IE Business School Madrid and working at media production companies, Joep joined FreedomLab to advance their presence in the digital sphere. His assignments include website design, online media management and content writing. Excited to be learning from FreedomLab's writings, he is particularly interested in how technology facilitates language learning, underpins our global village, and enhances the human experience.
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