April Reign started the hashtag "oscarssowhite" when she was following the nominations for the 2015 Academy Awards and saw that there wasn't a single non-white person nominated in any of the acting categories.
- I picked up my phone, logged into Twitter and wrote "#oscarssowhite they asked if they could touch my hair", she says.
The hashtag went viral and led to an international discussion around representation and diversity.
The hashtag has increased diversity
#Oscarssowhite and the subsequent discussion seems to have made some difference.
A new study shows that the percentage of nominees from an ethnic minority was eight percent in the eight-year period before the hashtag, and that it increased to 17 percent in the eight-year period after the hashtag.
After the hashtag, nearly 850 members were taken in with the aim of making the distribution in the academy more representative.
The Academy has also introduced diversity requirements that will take effect for the films at the 2025 gala.
In order to be nominated for an Oscar for best film, the percentage of people from underrepresented groups must reach certain levels both in front of and behind the camera.
- The loopholes in these guidelines are so big that you can drive a truck through them, says April Reign.
She believes that an old film such as "Gone with the Wind" could have been nominated according to the upcoming diversity requirements, even though it is considered racist and has been criticized for idealizing slavery.
Asian representation
Although underrepresented groups have increased among the nominees since #oscarssowhite, there is still a long way to go to a representation commensurate with roughly 40 percent of the American population belonging to an ethnic minority.
- This year you can see a fantastic representation of Asian actors.
In contrast, one step forward and two steps back.
There are no female directors nominated at all and a very poor representation of black talent both in front of and behind the camera, says Christina Jeurling Birro.