Some members challenge whether a Netflix movie that “buys” slots in theaters for only one week should be allowed to compete with conventional releases. An Academy committee is probing this issue with special focus on the possibility of a film winning both an Emmy and an Oscar in the same year. In the opinion of one prominent Oscar member, Netflix could represent “a cheapening of the Oscar.”
A substantial number of members also registered impatience with their organization’s defensiveness on the diversity issue. “We don’t make movies, we celebrate them,” said one governor (there are 54 in total and 17 branches). “Oscar-so-white is a tired canard,” said another governor, pointing to the success of several outreach programs. Several members insist that the Academy made a mistake last year in linking reviews of “emeritus status” with the drive to marshal new members, thus suggesting older members must make way for newcomers (only a very few actually lost their voting rights).