Yes, the Academy reached out and increased its membership, particularly with those from marginalized groups.

For as much was made in recent years for the diversification of the Academy Awards, the diversification that did happen was transformative but not in the ways that you would think. This year, more than any other year, we have to reckon with the fact that the Academy Awards are now global. As director Bong Joon-ho said, “The Oscars is a local show.” Or it was. There will always be snubs and surprises, but increasingly, these snubs and surprises smack against tradition in a thunderous way, especially when we look beyond the lens of what most “American industry professionals” think is the best in moving motion pictures. What’s increasingly more difficult is that the precursor award shows and voting bodies that we have typically used to gauge the moods and sentiments of the various factions within the Academy have become less and less predictive as years pass. Still, this is our chance to peer into our crystal balls and attempt to forecast what will happen on Oscar night, and the best way to do that is to see what those balls have told us in the past. While pondering this year’s Academy Awards predictions, we were struck by something inherent to the process that we don’t often appreciate: We’re trying to predict what people will do, say, and think, which is a daunting and arguably foolish endeavor. (Photo by Courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

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