The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has added 215 new international voters to its voting body ahead of the 81st Golden Globe Awards.
The move comes as part of the embattled organization’s ongoing diversity efforts after the 2021 Los Angeles Times. expose that led to widespread criticism of the HFPA for its demographics and allegations of awards campaign misconduct.
With a voting body that now totals 310, including its current 95 members, the measure exceeds its previous commitment to increase the size and diversity of the body. In a demographic breakdown received by TheWrap on Monday, the 310 voters are 25% Latino, 14% Asian, 10% Black, 9% Middle Eastern and 42% White. At least 17% of the voting body self-identifies as LGBTQIA+, the HFPA said in a statement, representing a total of 76 countries, including newly added countries like Cameroon, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Serbia and Tanzania.
“We have surpassed our goal of reaching 300 voters for the upcoming 81st annual Golden Globe Awards thanks to an extensive global recruiting effort,” HFPA President Helen Hoehne said in a statement. “We are excited about the unprecedented achievement of building a truly global voting body where 58 percent self-identify as ethnically diverse.”
“The efforts made to actively identify, engage and recruit diverse voters is strong evidence of the Golden Globes’ commitment to delivering on its promises to expand and reshape,” said Neil Phillips, HFPA director of diversity. “It shows that with the right leadership, effective community partnerships, and unwavering focus, we can achieve remarkable and transformative diversity growth.”
As TheWrap previously reported, the HFPA missed its voter diversity goal by one-third entering the 80th Golden Globes. The 215 international voters added this year double the effort of 103 additions in 2022. However, these voters are not members of the HFPA and join the 95 current voting members cited by the organization in its statement. While they are not members of the HFPA, they are recruited to cast votes in an attempt to make the voting body larger and more diverse.
In its statement on Monday, the HFPA shared that the criteria for international voters requires that all voters possess verified work samples as entertainment journalists and reside outside of the United States. “These applications were reviewed and scored by the Credentials Committee, which is comprised of a majority of outside independent professionals from the entertainment and journalism industry,” the statement read.
The 81st Golden Globe Awards will take place on January 7, 2024.
