I think the mandate is working, but not in the way people often measure. The numbers are actually pretty clear: before 2020, only about 12% of Oscar nominees came from underrepresented groups. Since the mandate took effect, that number has climbed to nearly 30% in some categories. That's not coincidence. But here's what matters more. The mandate forces studios to think about inclusion from the start of a project, not as an afterthought. When you know your film needs to meet certain criteria to qualify for Best Picture, you start asking different questions in the writers room and during casting. You look beyond the usual networks. That changes pipelines, not just awards. The critics say it's just box-checking. But box-checking is how you change habits. Eventually, those habits become normal. We're seeing more diverse stories getting funded, marketed, and celebrated. That's the whole point.

Take Chloe Zhao's Nomadland winning Best Picture in 2021. A film about a Chinese-American woman directing a story about white itinerant workers. That doesn't happen without the mandate creating space for unconventional projects. Studios took a chance on it because they knew diverse voices were being prioritized. Finn, you say the system isn't changing, just who gets picked. But that's exactly how systems change. When diverse filmmakers win, they get greenlit for their next projects. When their films succeed at the box office, studios notice. The mandate is a catalyst, not the final destination. You mention organic change. That's a nice idea, but organic change was taking centuries. The mandate accelerates a process that was moving at a glacial pace. Yes, some nominations feel like box-checking. But awkward first steps are better than standing still.

I remember watching the Oscars as a kid and noticing how everyone on stage looked the same. That's changing now, and I think that matters. Finn, you keep saying the mandate creates gaming of the system. But here's the thing: every system gets gamed. Studios have always strategized around awards. Before the mandate, they gamed for prestige, for star power, for genre bias. Now they're gaming for diversity too. That's not corruption, that's just how incentives work. You mention the mandate might vanish in ten years. I think that underestimates how quickly norms solidify. Once studios see that diverse films can win and make money, they won't need the mandate. But you need the mandate to get them to that first discovery. The Chloe Zhao example matters. She didn't get her shot because of a checkbox. She got it because the mandate made studios ask "who else is out there?" That's a shift in vision, not just numbers.