On October 15, 2022, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) grantee community met at the offices of Film Independent, in midtown Los Angeles. Representatives from more than 60 organizations got together with HFPA members, including President Helen Hoehne, and Grants Officer Sandra Cuneo. The event was presented in tandem with hosts (and HFPA grantees) Film Independent and The Film Collaborative.

There was excitement in the air, partly because friends and colleagues were meeting again after three years of just electronic communications, and partly because new faces floated among the familiar. Of the approximately 70 grantee organizations, there were added 21 new ones with missions that focus on the advancement of journalism as well as access to the industry by underrepresented groups.

Senior Director of Development Kate Walker D’Angelo greeted the group on behalf of Film Independent – the bestower of the Spirit Awards – and a pivotal Los Angeles-based nonprofit whose mission is to offer professional development opportunities as well as screenings and events that celebrate media arts and culture to its 8,000 members.

“This has been a really turbulent, challenging couple of years for the entertainment industry, nonprofit organizations, and the HFPA,” Walker D’Angelo said. “I’m so thankful to have you all here still standing, doing important work, and I‘m so thankful to the HFPA, Sandra (Cuneo), Helen (Hoehne), all of you, for stepping up and supporting all of us in this room when we really needed you.”

Hoehne, who has led the association through a radical reform process, stressed the significance of the event: “While our members view and vote on movies and television, what brings special appreciation to us is the work that you all accomplish on behalf of journalists, educators, students, impacted communities, and the art of film preservation.”

Hoehne acknowledged the association’s inner crisis and changes and stressed the progress made, including the extension of the Golden Globe voting base. “Most importantly,” she added, “this is the first time a major Hollywood award voting body is composed of a majority of women and diverse minorities.”

 

Highlighting the “key mission of diversity,” the HFPA leader introduced member and Central Asia correspondent Asel Sherniyazova and UCLA Entertainment and Media Research Initiative (EMRI) Director Dr. Ana-Christina Ramon, a social psychologist who oversees the publication of the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report. The report tackles research conducted by EMRI which gauges the developments related to the support of diversity within Hollywood since 2014.

 

“In the past five years, there was a switch to having a plurality of more diverse casts (in film and television),” Dr. Ramon said. While the trend became apparent for film only in 2018, television had already started showing progress in 2015. “Every year, the industry is becoming increasingly more diverse. There are more majority-minority casts than ever before.”

Ten years ago, the general perception was that the industry was not about to change unless the quest for diversity became profitable. But when the EMRI team started to examine box office data for the limited diverse movies and shows that were available, they found that those were quite popular and had a higher return on investment.

The success of diverse films and television is attributed to a complex web of factors. The demographic breakdowns of moviegoers showed that “increasingly diverse audiences want to see diverse content.” Diverse creators also contribute to the products’ commercial success by adding authenticity to the mix.

If a population is not represented in entertainment, Dr. Ramon explained, there is less value placed on that population by society. Lack of interest, in turn, affects news coverage and public policy. “That’s why it is so important to have authentic and accurate representation on screen that shows people as fully realized humans.”

As a daughter of Hispanic immigrants, Dr. Ramon remembered her grandmother watching Spanish telenovelas on Univision. “Now, with streaming, everyone can access (Spanish-speaking content) … Audiences can see different cultures and the way people live outside the US but this does not necessarily equate to the US experience.

“There’s this idea that if you are Asian or Latinx, you should be satisfied with all the Asian or Spanish-speaking programming … But that is not exactly what people want. They want to see themselves and the way they live in the US … (Yet) a lot of the groups, especially Latinx and Asian, are still seen as foreign, not from this country.”

Despite the leaps and bounds in recent years, the work of diversification is just beginning for Hollywood. “It has been difficult because of the industry being so entrenched in its ways,” Dr. Ramon pointed out. “But the culture needs to change in terms of the hiring, the promoting of people, all of it!”

So far, the efforts have benefited white women the most, though among the executive ranks which remain white male-dominated. “There is a constant push so that the industry diversifies at all levels for all groups.”

In closing, Dr. Ramon gave an example: “Twenty-six percent of the US population under 18 years of age is Latinx. Ninety-five percent of them watch YouTube, seventy-six percent TikTok, and sixty-eight percent Instagram. Do you think that these teens, who are creating their own videos, are going to be satisfied with the status quo, with not seeing themselves on screen? The idea that you are going to take this population for granted when these teens already create content, is so misguided!

“The only way to stay solvent, to stay ahead of the game, is to invest now in Black, indigenous, and people of color,” she concluded, which was met with warm applause.

After the discussion, the grantee representatives broke into groups according to their line of work, such as education, pre-professional and professional training and mentoring, and promotion of cultural exchange.

The Film Independent offices suddenly became a beehive of activity. Eager participants began circulating from group to group, trying to get a sense of the core mission of each organization and to imagine ways in which they could cross paths.

Quick introductions and announcements about services offered or requested around the circles were surprisingly effective. In a matter of a few minutes, alliances were already forming and information was being exchanged.

From Cal State institutions and journalism departments to professional development services for minority groups, women, creators of color, and underrepresented communities – the variety of the participants and the work was astounding.

“We all wish to express how much we appreciate the HFPA for giving us the opportunity to learn all the ways in which we can collaborate instead of compete against each other,” said group facilitator Bey-Ling Sha, who was also there to advocate for Cal State Fullerton.

“When I moved to Los Angeles to further my career in film education, I thought that every street corner would have resources and film festivals and mentors for young filmmakers. I didn’t find that to be true,” cited Samuel Curtis, Director of Creative Media for Get Lit, a teen literacy group.

“But (meeting) the folks who were in the group for pre-professional development … that is what I was always dreaming of. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, over the past five years, has shown us the future of the industry.”

Hollywood may have a long way until it reinvents itself as a progressive industry that fully embraces plurality. Yet, in this recent event, when the Film Independent offices turned into a place where various missions, aspirations, and endeavors could cross-pollinate – on that day, diversity was realized.

Even more importantly, the gathering let us take a peek into a future in which competition is replaced by collaboration, isolation by interconnectivity, need by exchange. And, in which rigid hierarchy is mitigated by acceptance and appreciation of differences.