The Academy Awards are inevitably political: it's Hollywood's own internal popularity contest and an opportunity to reward those who have it coming as much as those who actually deserve the accolades. But this has become too obvious, not least thanks to voters admitting they hadn't even seen the movies, so the academy is mandating that they do so.
what films get watched by academy members has been increasingly seen as a significant factor in what wins. At the same time, the publication of anonymous Oscar ballots has often featured members confessing that they didn't get around to watching some notable films or not finishing lengthier nominees.
Other new rules include allowing "best international film" nominees with refugee or asylum status to be represented by any country, and to require voters not to consider the use of AI in evaluating nominees: "The academy and each branch will judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when choosing which movie to award," the academy announced.
Previously:
• Watch Seth MacFarlane 'joke' about Harvey Weinstein's harassment during a 2013 Oscars presentation
• Everything Everywhere All At Once just swept the Oscars
• Honest Trailers for the best pictures nominees at the 2023 Oscars
