Marrakech - Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman will announce on Thursday, January 15, what Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, promises will be a "diverse and global" selection of Oscar -nominated films.
This means that more non-English language productions will have a chance to compete in various categories, as is the case with "The Secret Agent," with the expected nomination of Wagner Moura for best actor.
“It’s important to listen to the voices of the world and different points of view. Now, every year we have spectacular non-American films vying for several Oscars. Our Academy members, even those based in Hollywood , devour them,” said Bill Kramer, in one of his last public appearances before the announcement of the nominees for the next Oscars, the 98th in history.
The CEO was one of the guests at the 22nd edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, known as FIFM, which was covered by NeoFeed .
In a meeting with the public and press in Morocco, Kramer emphasized the diversity of the selection of nominated films (as a result of the globalization of the Academy itself) as one of his main missions in the position, which he has held since 2022.
“The organization’s focus used to be Hollywood. But that’s changing. Today, almost 25% of our 11,000 members are not from the U.S. And that number will continue to grow, with 150 to 200 new international members joining each year,” said the 57-year-old CEO on stage at the Meydene cultural center in Marrakech.
“Since we live in a global society now, horizons are opening up for films from the Middle East, Africa, and South America, as was the case with the Brazilian film ' I'm Still Here ' in last year's selection,” he stated, referring to the fact that Walter Salles' historical drama competed for, in addition to the award for best international film (which it won), the Oscar for best picture and best actress, with Fernanda Torres .
Several factors contributed to the internationalization of the Oscars, including the streaming boom and the change in habits brought about by the pandemic, according to Kramer.
"Over the past five years, audiences have started watching films at home that they wouldn't normally see. The boundaries between classic and contemporary films, between international and domestic films, and between documentaries and animation have simply disappeared."
Another reason for the changes to the Oscars, not mentioned by the CEO, was the controversy caused by #OscarsSoWhite. The movement emerged on social media in 2015, accusing the Academy of racism and demanding more diversity in the awards.
All the controversy contributed to the victory of the South Korean film "Parasite," which made history at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020. It was the first non-English language film to win the Best Picture award. "When he won the award, director Bong Joon-ho said that people were no longer afraid of subtitles. And it's true," Kramer recalled.
The inclusion of new categories in the awards also helps the CEO reinforce the idea that the Academy is keeping up with the times, as a "living and pulsating" organization. The next Oscar ceremony, scheduled for March 15 in Los Angeles, will be the first to recognize best casting direction.
“The award will help people understand what the casting process is like, which is still a mystery to most,” Kramer said, adding that the Academy’s intention is “to elevate this discipline.” “It’s an art form, even if an actor, present on a film set in Hungary, has a meeting with a casting director in Los Angeles via Zoom.”
For the 100th Academy Awards ceremony in 2028, the Academy will add an award for best stunt direction. "Almost every production has some kind of stunt work, and I'm not just talking about action movies," said the CEO, recalling that when presenting the proposal to the board of directors, he showed a clip with excerpts from independent films.
“One of them was 'Anora' (the last winner of the Oscar for best film), because of the fight scene in the house,” Kramer said, referring to the invasion of the Russian character's mansion. By abandoning his wife in the house, he leaves her at the mercy of his father's henchmen, culminating in a lot of fighting. “All of that was highly choreographed,” he emphasized.
Before concluding the meeting, Kramer was asked about the most controversial and embarrassing moments in Oscar history. He mentioned the gaffe at the 2017 ceremony, where "La La Land" was mistakenly announced as Best Picture due to a mix-up with the envelopes, when the winner was actually "Moonlight." More recently, in 2022, Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock for not liking a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, as she suffers from alopecia.
“Since we are a live TV program, anything can happen. It’s part of the excitement,” the CEO stated, adding that the Academy is better prepared for these moments, “having learned a lot in recent years.”
"It's worth remembering that we don't censor our artists when they take the stage. They can open their hearts, sometimes even delving into political discourse. The most important thing is to let them live their moment on our stage, where they reach an audience of over 50 million people around the world. Even more than that, since these moments are immortalized, watched and rewatched on YouTube," he said.
