Oscars announces new standards: Only diverse films will be considered for best picture

The Oscars set out four "standards" which it hopes will boost representation and inclusion both in front of and behind the camera.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that they will require films to meet their Inclusion Standards in order to be eligible for the Best Picture category beginning 2024.

For the 96th Oscars, in 2025, only films that have met at least two of the standards will qualify for the award,  according to the Academy's latest announcement.

They are introducing eligibility requirements for the best picture award "to encourage equitable representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience".

The Oscars have been criticised for their lack of diversity for years. The failure to nominate black or minority actors in 2016 led to a furious backlash, with film stars boycotting the ceremony and the growth of the #OscarsSoWhite movement.

The Academy recently invited 819 new members to vote for this year's Oscars, of whom 45% are women and 36% are non-white, and says it has now doubled the number of women members and tripled the number of people from under-represented ethnic and racial communities.