Academy launches programme aimed at boosting diversity

Los Angeles, April 7 (IANS) After a much-publicised effort to invite more international artists and artists of colour into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last year, the organisation has announced a new initiative aimed at fostering students and professionals from under-represented communities.

"I am proud that the Academy is taking proactive steps in building partnerships within the entertainment industry to move the needle on talent development and inclusion," said Nancy Utley, Academy governor and president of Fox Searchlight Pictures who serves as chair of the Academy's Education Committee.

The Academy Gold programme will launch in June, affording top film entertainment, technology, production services, and digital media companies an opportunity to recruit and educate a nationwide pool of diverse talent, reports variety.com.

The organisation will also build an alumni database to track the professional development of participants in the industry-wide summer internship and mentoring initiative, and provide a resource for connectivity among alumni upon completion of the programme.

Companies already committed to the programme include Deluxe, the Walt Disney Company, Dolby Laboratories, FotoKem, FremantleMedia, HBO, IMAX, Lionsgate/Starz, Panavision, Paramount Pictures, Participant Media, Sony Pictures, Technicolor, Twentieth Century Fox Film, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Each partner will sponsor up to three interns.

In this first year, over 50 interns (including 15 who will be placed within the Academy itself) will participate. The internships are available to undergraduate and graduate college students.

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