‘Were they just voting on vibes?’: Oscars’ new compulsory viewing rule sparks backlash

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has introduced a new rule mandating Oscar voters to watch all nominated films in their categories before casting votes, sparking debate due to its late implementation. This change aims to ensure fairness by preventing voter bias from incomplete information, inspired by the British Academy's similar approach using random selection for diversity in contender selection. Additionally, updated criteria now include filmmakers with refugee or asylum status and clarify AI's role in submissions, while two nominees this year used AI to enhance actors' voices, sparking further debate about its impact on the selection process.