8

| NEWS | NEWS OF DELAWARE COUNTY

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016

ACADEMY AWARDS

Local Oscar voters, winners on #OscarsSoWhite bout

By Kevin Tustin
ktustin@21st-centurymedia.
com
@KevinTustin on Twitter

For two years running,

the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has
been attacked for being too
white. After a second consecutive year featuring no
minorities as nominees in
any of the four acting categories for the Academy
Awards, the social media
hashtag #OscarsSoWhite
has put the spotlight on the
most internationally recognizable body of filmmakers.
The continued controversy has people throwing around claims that
the academy, whose membership is predominately
older white males, is racist and out of touch. Will
Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith
and the Rev. Al Sharpton
have called for a boycott of
this years award ceremony
over the claims, with Spike
Lee lending his voice to the
crowd.
Any sort of response from
prominent actors themselves has been divisive,
with Charlotte Rampling,
an Oscar-nominee this
year for her leading turn in
45 Years and academy
member - saying this diversity bout is racist towards
white people. Another nominee this year, Mark Ruffalo,
said the country is rife with
white privilege racism, but
he will be attending the ceremony in the name of good
journalism and in support
of victims of sexual abuse
by clergy, the focuses of his
film Spotlight.
Whether a producer, an
actor, or a documentarian,
local AMPAS members and
Oscar-winners seem to be
unified in that there should
be more diversity at the
academy, and in the filmmaking industry as a whole,
but one is calling this controversy blown out of proportion.
I can honestly say, I

never met anybody who

would in any way not vote
for someone because theyre
a minority, said Sam Chew
Jr., an over 30-year member of the academys acting
branch. This is indicative
of a larger issue that is permeating the media culture
as a whole. Its an incessant
preoccupation with diversity and political correctness its just now knocking on the door.
Academy Award-winning documentarian David
Goodman, of Lansdowne,
was adamant in his views
that the studios who greenlight the projects are a major factor in the lack of diverse stories being told.
There wouldnt be this
outcry I think if the problem was addressed in terms
of whos making films,
whos directing those films
and who acts in those films
was more accurately represented, said Goodman.
The problem is at the beginning, not the end (the
Oscars).
In 2015, reputable films
including Concussion,
Creed, Beasts of no Nation and Straight Outta
Compton featured a leading black character and
developed strong awards
buzz, and yet only two
broke through at the academy, and not for the work of
black people: Sylvester Stallone was nominated for his
supporting turn in Creed,
and the white writing duo
of Straight Outta Compton were recognized for
their original screenplay.
Interestingly, Beasts of
no Nation star Idris Elba
won the Screen Actors
Guild Award for his supporting turn in that film,
becoming the first actor
to win at SAG for a performance not nominated for
an Oscar.
Tammy Tiehel-Stedman,
an Oscar-winning Malvern
resident and member of the
academys short films and
feature animation branch,

said shes not exactly sure

whats going on with the
acting branch.
I think there have definitely been strong performances by people of color
and its not a result of a
void of performances which
merit a nomination, she
said.

How to be a nominee
I understand the fact
that there were not any
black actors nominated
this year, but people need
to understand the voting
process, said Chew.
Becoming a nominee is
not as straight forward as
being the first five people
to get a certain number of
votes. It is a thorough process.
Members of the acting branch, like Chew, are
asked to rank five performances from one to five in
each of the four acting categories. These nominating
ballots are organized by
whichever person is listed
in the number one slot.
So, for any category, there
could be many actors who
received first place votes,
whether hundreds or just
one, all of whom competing for one of the five nominations.
A performer can receive
a nomination outright if
theyve secured one-sixth
of the first place votes of all
submitted ballots. Should
a performer, or even two,
reach that threshold number, their ballots are set
aside (unless they are so
popular then their votes get
reapportioned by the surplus rule to the other candidates). If not one performer
reaches the magic number
in the first round alone, redistribution starts.
With all ballots stacked
by who is listed number
one, the performer with
the least number one rankings has their ballots redistributed by who is ranked
second. If the performer
ranked second place on

NEW SALE DATES: STARTS ThuRS., FEB. 11Th ENDS WED., FEB 17Th

SAUDERS
EXTRA
LARGE EGGS

$ 99

CHICKEN
CUTLETS

$ 49

Doz

LB

pRE-TRIMMED-NO WASTE

USDA CHOICE

RUMP ROAST

$ 49
LB

CERTIFIED BLACK ANGUS

FROM OUR KITCHEN

6
ITALIAN MEATBALLS $ 49
IN SAUCE
7
CHICKEN $
CAESAR SALAD

49
LB

LB

3 CHEESE BAKE ZITI

LG

BONELESS BREAST
SUpER TRIM

4
$ 49

$ 99 SM $ 99

SHRIMP
PASTA SALAD
PASTA
NAPOLI

$ 49
LB

FRESH

CHIP STEAK

699

LB

HAND TRIMMED
FRESH

PORK BUTTS
OR SHOULDERS

99
LB

LB

LB

THURS. & FRI. ONLY

BEEf OR CHICKEN

STIR fRY
$

99
LB

ENTENMANNS

299

BOX

TAVERN
HAM

$ 99

LB

BOARS HEAD

HONEY MAPLE
TURKEY
BOARS HEAD

EVERROAST
CHICKEN
BOARS HEAD

8
$ 99
8
$ 99
8
$ 99
7

$ 99
LB

LB

LB

SWISS
CHEESE

LB

SANDWICH OF THE WEEK

ON pLAIN OR SEEDED ROLL

ITALIAN CHICKEN
CUTLET

650

WITH SHARp pROvOLONE

SpINACH OR BROCCOLI RABE

FROM OUR GRILL

TURKEY OR SIRLOIN

CHEESE
BURGER

425

ON KAISER ROLL WITH

TOMATO & LETTUCE

MON. & TUES. ONLY

FRESH

SIRLOIN $BACON
GROUND
99
PATTIES
CHUCK

LB

99

80% LEAN

4
$ 99
2

LB

REG. OR LOW SALT

HABBERSETT SCRAPPLE
LB

says its the luck of the draw,

among other things, that go
into getting a nomination.
There has been a lot
of recognition of people of
color, directors, actors over
the years, so I just think it
gets down to three things:
its very competitive; theres
a lot of luck involved; and
trends, he said. And none
of those things anyone can
control.

Fixing the system

Receiving an Academy
Award nomination is the
last step of what can be a
very long production schedule. From studios giving the
go-ahead to start, to shooting, post-production, marketing and the release, it
can be well over a year before a film gets any sort of
accolades.
But its the studio heads
who approve projects and
what diverse stories and,
therefore, what kind of diverse persons are needed
in its productions that
get made.
The academy does not
make these decisions, only
the studio heads do, and its
the greenlighters Goodman
has a problem with.
Its the studios that make
the films that could go on
to reap the accolades. They
line-up what projects they
want to make and promote.
The problem, for which the
academy is receiving the

OSCARS PAGE 12

Accused baby killer

blames media bias

LEIDYS

LEIDYS

FRESH

SUBMITTED PHOTO

AMPAS member Sam Chew,

Jr.
ballot being redistributed
is not ranked first on any
of the remaining ballots,
then it gets redistributed by
the performer ranked third,
and so on.
If after three rounds of
redistributing a performer
reaches the magic number, that performers ballots are put aside and are
no longer in play. With each
new nominee determined
during redistribution, the
magic number needed to be
a nominee is determined by
the number of ballots still
being counted, divided by
how many remaining nomination slots are left plus
one.
Redistributing continues
working from the smallest
piles up until five persons
have reached the voting
rounds respective magic
number, thus becoming the
nominees.
This preferential ballot
to determine the nominees
is to make sure every vote
cast is counted and given
weight.
Acting is subjective,
Chew mentioned, noting
that he found Will Smiths
performance in Concussion to be beautiful and
nuanced, and Creed star
Michael B. Jordan was very
good.
Goodman, while not an
academy member and admits to not really paying the
organization much mind,
COURTS

DRUMS OR DELUXE
HAM
THIGHS
ALpINE LACE

6 5
$ 49
4 CAKES OR DONUTS

SHEPARDS PIE
99 SM $ 99
LG $

GRADE A CHICKEN

SUBMITTED PHOTO

AMPAS member and

Academy AwardwinnerTammy TiehelStedman

brunt of the controversy

for work presented to them,
starts at the start of production.
Tiehel explained her view
on what kind of films get
made.
It seems to me that the
studios like to make films
similar to those that have
already been made and
that have been financially
successful, it mitigates the
huge financial risk they
must take, said Tiehel.
One would think that
with the commercial success of films like the Tyler
Perry films, Ride Along 1
and 2, Think Like A Man,
Straight Outta Compton
and others, studio execs
would start to understand
that the public is hungry for
films which tell the stories
of many different types of
people.
Goodman, who has been
making documentaries
since 1980, said if one of his
films, or anyone elses, isnt
mainstream, there is going
to be a problem.
Anyone who has a story
thats out of the mainstream, meaning not white
male, has a harder sell job,
he said. If its not familiar,
it can be against you. If its
critical, politically, maybe
in some sensitive ways,
youre just swimming more
upstream. It goes back to
whose stories are being told
and whos deciding whose
stories are being told.
If there arent black stories being told, there arent
going to be black actors.
In recent years, films
that are more female- or
black-centric have been doing good box office. In 2015,
four such films were among
the 20 highest grossing
films, up from three in 2014.
2013 and 2012 saw five such
films in the top 20 highest
grossing, three each in 2011
and 2010 and two in 2009.
It took the success of
Bridesmaids (in 2011) for
studio execs to see that

89

80% LEAN

LB

Ummad Rushdis
courtroom
outburst came
as attorneys
evaluated the
status of his case

By Alex Rose
arose@21st-centurymedia.com
@arosedelco on Twitter

An
Upper Darby man facing
the death penalty for allegedly killing an infant
in 2013 interrupted a status hearing Monday saying the devil is his enemy
and is manipulating others
against him.
I mean, I have to protect against this from
happening, said Ummad Rushdi, 32. They
dont take that into consideration before they just
throw me in the dirt.
Rushdi is accused of
killing 7-month-old Hamza
Ali in August 2013 at his
parents home in the 6600
block of Chestnut Street,
Upper Darby, then transporting the body elsewhere and burying it at
an unknown location. He
is charged with first-, second- and third-degree
murder, kidnapping and
abuse of a corpse. The babys body has never been
found.
T he ca se ha s been
drawn out by the need for
psychological and psychiatric evaluations from defense experts in the criminal defense and death penalty phases. Mike Malloy is
handling criminal defense
and Scott Galloway is handling death penalty mitigation.
Galloway indicated he
would deliver a mitigation
report to Deputy District
MEDIA COURTHOUSE >>

Hamza Ali
Attorney Stephanie Wills
this week, though he said
it still might require a few
tweaks. Malloy also said
he hopes to have Rushdis
evaluations complete soon.
Wills indicated she would
need additional time after
receiving the reports to
have her own expert evaluate Rushdi as well.
Rushdi began calling
out as the attorneys discussed setting a new date
with Judge James Nilon,
indicating he needs someone above the manipulation line to hear his case.
I need someone above
and beyond to see how the
manipulation works, he
said. From the media, I
dont know the information, I dont know the bias,
am I ensured an impartial
trial? I doubt it.
Rushdi, whose outbursts
have become the norm at
his status hearings despite his attorneys attempts to rein him in, also
denounced negativity and
told the court to read how
Job was afflicted in the Bible.
So how can I reach
above the manipulation
line? he asked. You gave

Ummad Rushdi
me Babe Ruth, you gave
me Mickey Mantle, but
all theyre allowed to do
is bunt while Im getting
thrown in the dirt, attacked.
Rushdi also indicated he
had written his own fivepage mitigation report on
who he is and what he represents.
I was reaching out, asking for help to secure the
child, like they know, he
said.
Rushdi was led from the
courtroom saying, Peace
be with those who follow
the guidance.
Nilon set the next status
hearing for March 28.

12

| RELIGION | NEWS OF DELAWARE COUNTY

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016

Whats happening
Fashion Show

The Ladies Auxiliary of

Saint Charles Borromeo
Parish in Drexel Hill is
planning its annual fashion
show to be held Sunday,
April 17, at McCalls Golf
and Country Club. Fashions
will be provided by Dress
Barn and Lizelles.
The Auxiliary is also hosting
a Parish Breakfast Sun.,
Feb. 21 after the 7:30 am
Mass until after the 10:30
am Mass. Cost is $7, adults
and $3, children under
12.For more information on
either event, call the church
office at 610-623-3800.
As a fundraiser, the Auxiliary is currently selling RADA
Cutlery. A wide assortment of cutlery is available,
including knives, gift sets,
utensils, stoneware and
much more. For information, call Nancy Colaiezzi at
610-626-7891.

OBITUARY

Steptoe, Laudes by Jan

Bach, Pharaonic Suite by
The Delaware County
Curt Cacioppo (World PreBusiness and Professional
Womens Club meeting will miere), Callby Luciano Berio,
Street Song by Michael
be Wednesday, Feb. 10, at
Tilson Thomas, and Dream
Lamb Tavern, 865 West
Suite by Graham Ashton.
Springfield Road, SpringThis concert will be held
field. The speaker is Vicki
Otmani, Oarswoman, www. in Roberts Hall, Marshall
Auditorium on the Haverfightthekraken.org. Topic
ford College Campus, 370
is the First Pair of North
Americans in History to Row Lancaster Avenue in Haverford. Ticket prices are $20
Across the Pacific Ocean.
(Adult), $15 (Senior), $10
Cocktails and networking
(Student), $5 (Child, age
begin at 6:30 p.m. with
7-17). For more informadinner at 7 p.m. Cost is $30. tion, call 610-896-1011 or
All are invited to attend. For www.haverford.edu/music/
information or reservations, concerts-events.
call 610-543-9332 or 610566-5035.
Blood drive
The First Baptist Church of
New York Chamber
Collingdale is joining with
Brass performs
the Taylor and McNeill FamThe Concert Artist Series at ilies, along with the AmeriHaverford College presents can Red Cross, to help meet
the New York Chamber
the shortage in the blood
Brass, 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. supply by hosting a blood
28. They will perform New
drive 12:30-5:30 Friday,
York Fanfares by Roger
March 4 in the Education
Building of the church, 814
Andrews Avenue in Collingdale. The blood drive is
held in memory of Michael
Taylor and Mark McNeill,
11:00 AM at St. two 15-year old teenagers
Anastasia Church from Collingdale who were
3301 West Chester killed by a hit-and-run driver
Pike, Newtown in December of 2011. The
Sq., PA 19073. In- blood drive is held twice a
terment SS. Peter year, in March and July in
the boys memory.
& Paul Cemetery.
Arrangements To register, visit www.
by the DAnjolell redcrossblood.org or call
Me mor i a l Home o f 610-809-5187.There is also
Broomall.
a new feature called Rapid
In lieu of flowers do- Pass where donors can
nations in Lous memory start the donation process
may be made to St. Anas- online at www.redcross.
tasia Church Step Renova- org/rapidpass/.
tion Project at the above
Ladies Auxiliary
address.
www.danjolell.com
The Delaware County Ladies Auxiliary will be hosted
by the Eddystone Ladies
Auxiliary, 7:30 p.m. Mon-

Womens Club meets

Louis P. Moiani of Broomall

Louis P. Lou
Moiani, age 88,
on Feb. 8, 2016 of
Broomall, PA. Longtime employee of Jos.
A. Bank in Haverford, PA for 30 yrs.
Survived by his
loving wife of 63 yrs
Eleanor B. (nee Difato) his
sons Louis P. Jr. (Cynthia)
and Thomas B. (Catherine),
and 4 grandchildren, and 3
great grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are
invited to his viewing Friday Morning 10:00-10:45
AM and Funeral Mass
1952-2016

Samuel C. Ludwig III of Drexel Hill

Samuel C. Ludwig, III
Skip age 63, a life long
resident of Drexel Hill, died
peacefully at Bryn Mawr
Hospital on January 28,
2016 after a courageous
fight against lung cancer.
He was born December 27,
1952, son of the late Samuel C. Ludwig, Jr. and Jessica B. (nee Walsh) Ludwig.
Skip is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Barbara J. (nee Kessler) Ludwig, who never left his side.
They were married August
23, 1975 in Broomall.
He was a graduate of
Upper Darby Senior High
School in 1971. He served
in the U.S. Army Reserves
from 1971-1977. He was a
member of St. Andrews the
Apostle Church in Drexel
Hill. He was employed as
an HVAC technician by
Bob Cermignano Heating
and Cooling from 1999 until his death. He truly loved
the people he worked with.
Our family cannot thank
Bob and his staff enough
for all they have done for
him and his family.
He loved classic cars
and classic rock. He enjoyed learning about U. S.
military history and military aviation in particular.
He was a diehard Philadelphia sports fan who spent
many afternoons and evenings cheering on the Eagles, Phillies and Flyers.
He also loved cheering on
Penn State football as well.
Skip was fortunate to have
had many lifelong friends
with him whom he enjoyed
spending his time. In years
past, he loved crewing sailboats on the Chesapeake
Bay, golfing and playing

horseshoes. Recently he
loved spending summers
beachside or poolside with
friends and family.
He was devoted to his
two daughters Audrey
Ludwig Bunch of Warrenton, VA. and Jessica Bauman (Jeremy) of Bellefonte,
PA. He enjoyed the time he
spent with his cherished
grandchildren, Sophia and
Jackson. He is also survived by his 3 loving sisters Carolyn Miller (Ray)
of Doylestown, PA., Jeanie
Shatoff (Ken) of Broomall
and Mary Ann Ludwig of
New York, NY. He is also
survived by many cousins,
nieces and nephews.
Skips family would like
to thank everyone involved
in his care, including his
wonderfully supportive
family and friends as well
as medical team including
Dr. Shmockler, Dr. Gupta,
Dr Assarsson, Dr. Platt,
and the providers and
staff at Bryn Mawr Hospital during his many trips
there. They are also thankful for the comforting care
provided during the times
he spent at the Quadrangle for rehab. Lastly they
would like to thank the
BMH Pallative Care including Joanne Glusman for
their excellent care, comfort and guidance.
A
F unera l Ma ss
was held for Skip at St.
Andrews the Apostle
Church on Wednesday February 3rd followed by his
burial at Valley Forge Memorial Gardens in King Of
Prussia.
Arrangements by the
Frank C. Videon Funeral
Home, Broomall.

ATTENTION:
Funeral Directors and Families
Delco News Network
prints obituaries for a nominal fee.
Funeral directors may e-mail
obituaries, including photos, to

obits@delconewsnetwork.com
Deadline is 11 am Friday for
Town Talk Newspapers, 3 pm Friday
for County Press, Springfield Press &
Garnet Valley Press and 3 pm
Monday for News of Delaware County

day, Feb. 15, at Eddystone

Firehouse.

Chester University Criterion

Jazz Ensemble.

The event will be at Sacred

Heart School, 109 N. Manoa
Road, Havertown.
Leadership luncheon Darby Free Library
Cost is $25 ($30 after Feb.
Kelley Cornish, director
Darby Free Library cele19). Family rate is $60;
of Diversity and Inclusion
brates Black History Month $15 for age 14 and under.
at AmeriHealth Caritas
with a month of activities.
Proceeds of this event will
and author of Its Work!
First education, do you need be used to fund upgrades to
How Will You Show Up?
the infrastructure of Sacred
your GED? Free classes
(with Myron Rolle), is this
Heart School. Register onbegan Feb. 8 and operyears keynote speaker for
line at www.sh-school.org.
ate Monday, Tuesday and
the Womens Resource
Wednesday from 10 a.m.
Centers 10th Anniversary
Heart Healthy Rodeo
to 2 p.m. This education
Leadership Luncheon. The
opportunity is provided by
Riddle Hospital is hosting
luncheon will be held at the Second Chance Mission.
a Heart Healthy Rodeo as
Crystal Tea Room from 11
Call 267-290-9972.
a fun-filled event where
a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday, April
Honor black designers with students can learn about
15. More than 650 attend- LEGOs on Tuesdays at
the heart. This kids health
ees are expected at this
3:30 p.m. Wednesday after event will teach everyyears event.
thing from tips on healthy
school fun starts at 3:30
For more information, to
snacking and what the
p.m.
purchase tickets or to
heart sounds like to heart
Thursday movies at 4
become a sponsor, vendor,
healthy words of wisdom
include Akeelah And The
or program book adverfrom Dr. Richard McCurdy
Bee, The Princess and
tiser visit www.womenJr., cardiologist at Riddle
the Frog and Daddy Day
sresourcecenter.net or call Care. The library supplies
Hospital, part of Lankenau
610-687-6415. Tickets are the popcorn; bring your own Heart Institute, Main Line
on sale now. Purchase tick- refreshments.
Health. A sheriffs badge
ets early as the luncheon
prize will be given to each
has sold out for the last six Special Darby NAACP prochild after they complete all
gram on Thursday, Feb. 25 the activities.
years.
from 5 to 7 p.m.
The event will be 10 a.m. to
Arts and Crafts on Friday
Jazz Fest
noon, Saturday, Feb. 20 at
at 3:30, create a name tag Riddle Hospital, AdminisThe Upper Darby High
like Fab 5 Freddy, make a
School Jazz Band invites
trative Annex, Conference
personal progress rail in
the public to their annual
Room 1, 1068 W Baltimore
honor of Harriet Tubman,
Jazz Fest, 6 p.m., Friday,
Pike, Media. Space is limFeb. 12, at the Upper Darby a bracelet for Bob Moses
ited; call 1-866-CALL-MLH
Algebra Project and a hand to register your child for this
Performing Arts Center.
piece symbol.
Join them for some great
fun-filled event.
New! We Build Family Fun
music performed by talented young musicians. Ad- Saturdays from noon to 1
Community Blood
mission is $8 for adults and p.m.
Drive
$5 for seniors and students. Saturday, Feb. 13, startFirst Baptist Church is now
Scheduled performance
ing at 1:30 p.m., learn while acting as host to a Commutime and additional inforhaving fun playing our large nity Blood Drive that is held
mation is available on the
sized The Underground
two times each year (March
website, udbop.com.
Rail Road Game.
& July). The blood drives are
Groups performing include
held in memory of Michael
Shamrock Shuffle
Beverly Hills Middle School, The 5th Annual Sacred
Taylor and Mark McNeill,
Camden Creative Arts Little Heart Shamrock Shuffle 5k two 15-year old teenagers
Giants & High School, Hat- Run, Kids Dash and Family
from Collingdale who were
boro-Horsham High School, Fun Walk will be Saturday,
killed by a hit-and-run driver
Ridley High School, Radnor March 5. The Kids Dash is
in December of 2011.
High School, Upper Darby
The church is honored to
at
10
a.m.
and
the
5K
and
High School and West
Family Walk is at 10:30 a.m.
TO DO PAGE 13

SAINT FRANCIS OVER 50 CLUB TRIPS

Saint Francis Over 50
Club Trips: Feb. 15: Resorts
casino Cost is $23 with a
return of $25 in slot play.
Bus leaves at 10 am. Call
Bob Hodgson at 610-4492956. Mar. 14: Doolans for

a St. Patricks Festival with

Irish tenor Mike Byrne and
the famous Green Derby
Show band. There will
be a comedian, bagpipes,
dancing and one hour open
bar. Choice of three entrees

(one is corned beef and

cabbage). Cost is $90. Bus
leaves at 9:45 am Call Dan
Fahey at 610-544-4632.
Mar. 21: Resorts casino
Cost is $23 with a return of
$25 in slot play. Bus leaves

at 10 am. Call Bob Hodgson at 610-449-2956. Apr.

18: Resorts casino Cost is
$23 with a return of $25
in slot play. Bus leaves at
10 am. Call Bob Hodgson
at 610-449-2956.

Oscars

On their website, the

academy says this is not
about age, and that many
academy members will retain their voting privileges.
The academy is also adding three seats to the board
of governors for its diverse
members and women (to
be chosen by the president)
and doubling the number of
women and diverse members by 2020.
Based on the Los Angeles
Times stats, the total number of members is looking
to increase 50 percent by
2020 by doubling its membership in those two areas
alone.
I dont think partiality
ought to be given to anybody regardless of gender,
race, or sexual preference.
But how far do we go? Anybody should certainly have
an equal opportunity to
have membership of the
motion picture academy,
said Chew. Goodman said
a quota system is not good
for the academy as it politicizes them.
The new rules the academy has put in place to
make for a more diverse
membership were applauded by Tiehel, but with
stipulations.
She felt the academy
acted too abruptly the
changes coming one week
after nominations were
announced with no input from the academy as
a whole, and that it was a
move to trying too quickly
to eliminate some of the
older white voters who may
not remain active in the industry to stay a voter.
Saying that members
who arent active during
a ten-year period will no
longer be able to vote just
doesnt make sense to me
So many wonderful, wise
people who truly love the
art of film, who have earned
the right to vote and who
cant be proven to be racist,
may lose their right to vote
over this issue, she said.
Tiehel added that these
immediate changes will
help the academy, but is
only addressing the symptoms of the issue stemming from a lack of diverse
projects approved by studio
execs.

On the whole, Tiehel believes a broader, more international voting base will
create a larger voting base
who identify with diverse
stories.
I think of it as opening
up the membership to a
wider group of people who
deserve to be included. I
dont think the value of a
nomination can ever be depleted just by having a more
diverse group doing the voting. As the academy membership becomes more diverse, I think it will allow
for many different types of
films and the roles in them
to be better appreciated,
she said.
As for Chew, he holds
true that academy members
are focused on the craft, not
the craftspersons defining
physical traits.
I have always felt as an
actor that we are creative
people, we are compassionate or we wouldnt go into
the art form. You try to impart some of our wisdom
into mankind and its a profession. I would say, the furthest thing you can call (the
academy) is racist and prejudice.

tography Oscars for shooting Gravity and Birdman, and could win a
record-breaking third consecutive Oscar if he wins
for his work on The Revenant.
Gravity, Birdman
and The Revenant have,
to date, collected 11 Oscars
from 31 nominations.
Noting the aforementioned accomplishments
of those Mexican filmmakers, Tiehel recognized that
all of those stories were
about white people, and if
it werent for Sandra Bullock carrying Gravity, they
would have all been about
white men.
But should the focus be
on the content over the
craftsmanship that produced these award-winning
tales? Both of those directors have had great critical
success working in their diverse homelands, and other
parts of the world, and still
received Academy Award
nominations.
They choose to write,
produce and direct whatever projects they choose,
and if theyre stories about
white people, Hispanics,
Africans, whomever, thats
their doing. Who are we to
say that Mexicans can only
make films about Mexicans, and whites to show
white life and blacks can
only do stories on blacks?
We should be honoring
the filmmaker for telling a
story, not throwing stones
for what the content is
(not).
What Cuarn, Irritu
and Lubezki have done
are ones for the record
books, earning seven Oscars among them and being the first Mexicans to
achieve a special feat at
the Oscars.
So in the bows of #OscarsSoWhite, why were
they never given broad
public praise for their accomplishments? Because
theyre not black? The
academy has honored them
as the best filmmakers two
years in a row, and not a
peep. How is that not great
strides in diversity in the
academy?
You cant say the academy is xenophobic at least.

FROM PAGE 8

there is an audience for

comedic films written by
women about women,
said Tiehel. Now weve had
Trainwreck and Sisters
and hopefully there will be
many more.
People just have a natural desire to see themselves
portrayed on screen and to
watch films to which they
can truly relate. I think its
my responsibility going forward, as a producer, to create the types of films that I
would like to see.

Increasing diversity
Chew, 73, currently a
teacher on the Main Line, is
part of the demographic of
AMPAS members critics are
pointing out: the old white
men who are out of touch.
Im not saying there isnt
enough diversity in the
academy, but I dont feel
its a fair thing to try to
paint the academy as racist, Chew said.
According to a 2014 Los
Angeles Times article, the
membership of approximately 6,000 is 94 percent
white, 77 percent male and
the median age of 62.
To counter this, the academy on Jan. 22 made it
known that sweeping new
membership rules will be
significantly changing our
membership composition
according to academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs in
the press release announcing the changes.
Current and new members will need to remain active in the industry in 10year periods, with lifetime
voting rights guaranteed
after three, 10-year terms
of activity have been completed. A lack of employment in one of those periods moves a member to
emeritus status, but can
be overturned when employment is had. For current members, this is retroactive to the year/decade
they were asked to join. Oscar nominees and winners
are guaranteed lifetime voting rights under these new
rules.

Picking certain fights?

While white fare remains
the heavy favorite with the
academy, diversity has been
strong at the Oscars at the
last two ceremonies.
In addition to winning
best picture in 2013, 12
Years a Slave picked up
awards for supporting actress, Lupita Nyongo, and
adapted screenplay for
John Ridley. Award winners all being black.
At that same ceremony,
the space film Gravity
won seven awards, a project conceived and directed
by Mexican auteur Alfonso
Cuarn, the first Mexican
to take the directing award
and also winning for best
film editing for the film.
Then the next year, Alejandro G. Irritu won
three Oscars, including
best director, for Birdman. Irritu contends
for 2015s best director Oscar for The Revenant.
Another Mexican filmmaker, Emmanuel Lubezki,
was honored with cinema-