Head of the Oscars Doesn’t Think It Has a Problem With Diversity

By Jamilah King Jan 16, 2015

So far, the story of the Oscars season is about the overwhelming whiteness of the nominees. But one day after the nominations were announced, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the Academy’s first African-American female leader, went on record to say that she doesn’t think Hollywood’s most celebrated award has a diversity problem. 

"Not at all. Not at all," Isaacs told Vulture when asked if she thinks diversity is an issue. "The good news is that the wealth of talent is there, and it’s being discussed, and it’s helpful so much for talent — whether in front of the camera or behind the camera — to have this recognition, to have this period of time where there is a lot of publicity, a lot of chitter-chatter."

When asked about "Selma," which was nominated for best picture, but snubbed in the best actor and director categories, Isaacs said the following:  "Well, it’s a terrific motion picture, and that we can never and should not take away from it, the fact that it is a terrific motion picture," she said. "There are a lot of terrific motion pictures, it’s a very competitive time, and there’s a lot of great work that has been done. I am very happy that Selma is included in our eight terrific motion-picture [nominations]."

(h/t Vulture)