So, 2016 was rubbish for so many reasons. Everyone died, the referendum tore apart our country and the Oscars did not nominate a single non-white actor for the second year in a row.
The #OscarsSoWhite fiasco was humiliating for the Academy. The issue of representation and diversity was important for so many people, and the Academy appeared to completely miss the mark.
People boycotted the ceremony and there was a huge public outcry, prompting the Academy to publish a 'heartbroken' response to everyone's criticism.
The outgoing Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, has since announced that she would aim to double to the number of diverse (i.e. female and non-white) members by 2020.
Well, it looks like the academy has part reached its goal three years early.
Each year the Academy invites people from across the industry to join it and thus be able to vote for the awards.
For the second year in a row they have increased the guestlist numbers, this time round inviting a record-breaking 774 new members.
According to TheWrap the 280 people of cover invited lat year and 230-plus POC this year means they have likely doubled the number of non-white members.
Collider reports that this year's new class in 39% female and 30% POC, with seven branches (including actors, executives and film editors) inviting more women than men.
Though not everyone accepts the invite, some of the actors who might be part of the Academy come the next Oscars Awards include: Riz Ahmed, Gal Gadot, Donald Glover, Adam Driver, Priyanka Chopra, Jon Hamm, Naomie Harris, Dwayne Johnson, Amy Poehler, Channing Tatum, Kristen Stewart, Janelle Monae, Ruth Negga, Margot Robbie, Chris Pratt and Fan Bingbing.
Both Barry Jenkins of Moonlight and Jordan Peele of Get Out have been invited, for both directing and writing credentials.
As well as being a clear message of inclusion, these diverse future-members will hopefully create less bias among the winners of the awards.
'What is very important to us here is that people now understand we want diversity, we want inclusion,' AMPAS President Cheryl Boone Isaacs told TheWrap on Wednesday. 'We're not just talking – we're taking action.'
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
