Academy president on lack of Oscar diversity: 'Of course I am disappointed'

 By 
Yohana Desta
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The president of the Academy Awards' voting body isn't pleased with this year's lack of diversity in its Oscar nominations.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, diplomatically told Deadline that she too wishes the field of nominees were more diverse.

[seealso slug="oscar-nominations-2016"]

"Of course I am disappointed, but this is not to take away the greatness (of the films nominated)," she says. "This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it."

However, she did add that the Academy had to start catching up to the real world and nominate a more diverse crowd.

"We have got to speed it up," she said.

This year's batch of Oscar nominations largely went to white artists across the board. For example, no people of color are nominated for acting awards, while Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu (The Revenant) is the only nonwhite best director nominee. In addition, fans believe that films like Creed, Beasts of No Nation and Straight Outta Compton were heavily snubbed.

Many tweeted their disappointment with this year's homogenous nominees, reusing the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag that went viral last year.

#OscarsSoWhite that Rocky got nominated in a movie about Apollo Creed's son.— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) January 14, 2016

Oscar Voters: 94% White, 76% Men, & an Avg of 63 Years Old. No @neiltyson explanation needed. This is not rocket science. #OscarsSoWhite— Amanda Seales (@amandaseales) January 14, 2016

Well here is the powerful visual....for what's missing. #OscarsSoWhite #OscarsStillSoWhite #cbcnewsarts pic.twitter.com/UFcdffjhlM— Jelena Adzic (@jelenaadzic) January 14, 2016

This year's Oscars take place on Feb. 28 and will be hosted by Chris Rock.

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!