"Reagan" Screenwriter Says Film Wasn't Eligible For Best Picture Oscar Due To DEI Requirements

A screenwriter for the biopic �Reagan� starring Dennis Quaid said the film
was ineligible to win Best Picture, the most prestigious prize at the Academy
Awards, because it failed to meet the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences� DEI requirements.

�I think the situation speaks for itself. There�s not really anger and
indignation among those of us who made this film, we didn�t seriously expect
to be nominated for anything by Hollywood in this cultural climate� it�s just
sadness, really, what has become of the magnificent Dream Factory that once
was Hollywood,� writer Howard Klausner told Fox News Digital via email.

�Once upon a time it spoke to the heart[s] and dreams of pretty much
everybody, and the leaders and luminaries of the 20th century industry
intuitively seemed to �get� the middle of the country as well as the cultural
elite,� he continued.

�We were among 116 films that were eliminated for consideration this year,�
Klausner said. �Obviously, there needs to be a conversation about this
policy.�

The Academy stipulates that any Best Picture nominee must meet one out of
four DEI focused concepts, which include having a main character come from an
underrepresented group or have at least 30% of all actors in minor roles come
from at least two underrepresented groups.

Another option is to have the main storyline centered on an underrepresented
group. Alternatively, the film must utilize at least two creative leadership
positions, such as casting director, cinematographer, costume designer,
makeup artist, or others, come from underrepresented groups such as women,
LGBTQ, or racial and ethnic groups.

A Daily Wire poll conducted in 2021 after the DEI requirements for Best
Picture at the Oscars were announced found that most Americans opposed them.

�Reagan� most likely would have been snubbed from the Oscars even if it had
met the requirements as it painted the former Republican president in a
favorable light and was mostly shunned by mainstream critics. The film
currently has an 18% critic�s score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 98% audience
rating.

The year�s most successful documentary by a landslide, the Daily Wire+
production �Am I Racist?,� was also snubbed by The Academy even though it did
meet all the requirements for the category. It didn�t even make the list of
top 15 documentaries despite having massive cultural influence and making
over $12 million at the box office.

The film �Anora,� the big winner at Sunday night�s Oscars ceremony, won Best
Picture in addition to four others, including Best Actress for the film�s
star Mikey Madison. The movie tells the story of a prostitute who marries the
son of a Russian oligarch.

--
Not a joke! Don't jump!