Oscars 2016: Film Academy pledges to diversify membership in the wake of race row

It will also immediately diversify its leadership by adding three new seats to its board of governors.

This follows a week-long storm of criticism and calls for an Oscar boycott after Academy members nominated an all-white list of actors for the second year in a row.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs (Chris Pizzello/AP)

“The Academy is going to lead and not wait for the industry to catch up,” president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced.

Ms Isaacs said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 51-member board of governors unanimously approved a series of reforms to “begin the process of significantly changing our membership composition”.

Other changes include limiting members’ voting status to a period of 10 years.

An Oscar statue (Chris Pizzello/Invision/PA)

Earlier, it was reported Oscar-nominated actress Charlotte Rampling said the controversy over the lack of black actors on the Oscars shortlist is unfair to the white actors who were nominated.

The 69-year-old, who is up for the best actress award for her role in 45 Years, told French radio station Europe 1: “It’s racist to white people.”

Charlotte Rampling added her voice to the Oscars debate (Yui Mok/PA)

She continued: “We can never know if it was really the case, but perhaps the black actors did not deserve to be in the final straight.”

The Academy Awards will be broadcast on February 28.