Academy Award President promises to fix lack of diversity on screen

Following a shocking lack of diversity amongst award nominees, the Oscars are facing a backlash of criticism from actors and spectators alike.

Celebrities such as Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith have vowed to opt out of the ceremony, on the grounds that minority actors and directors have not been fairly represented. Cheryl Boone Isaacs, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has since released a statement promising to rectify, and diversify, the issue at hand.

She explained: “I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. 

“In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.