Film companies will be fined for ‘whitewashing’ in future productions.
Whitewashing has existed in Hollywood since the film industry’s infancy. Whilst Hollywood sees itself as progressive, its approach to diversity could not be further from the truth.
Recent films such as Ghost In The Shell, The Great Wall and Doctor Strange have demonstrated that Hollywood’s approach to whitewashing has not changed.
However, the US Department of Film and Entertainment has now said it will impose fines on film productions that are found to be guilty of ‘whitewashing’.
In a statement released on 1 April 2018, the department said, “America is rich in cultural diversity and Hollywood has a duty to reflect society accurately.”
Although the department did not state the size of the fine it wishes to impose on film productions that do not play ball, it was assured that the fines would be “hefty”.
“Film productions that fail to cast actors from culturally appropriate backgrounds should expect to incur hefty fines,” it said.
