Organizer calls for more diversity at Oscars

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Cheryl Boone Isaacs speaks at the 86th Academy Awards Foreign Language Nominee Reception at Ray's and Stark Bar on the LACMA Campus in Los Angeles, February 28, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts, says she would like to see more diversity in Oscar nominations.

This comes after a row about this year's nominees.

All 20 contenders in the main acting categories are white and there are no female nominees in the directing or writing categories.

After the nominations were announced, the Academy, which picks the contenders, faced strong criticism.

But Isaacs, who is the first African-American president of the Academy, said she was proud of the nominees and that the body was "making strides" towards diversity.

She adds that the organization is "committed to seeking out diversity of voice and opinion."

After the nominees were announced, people mocked the make-up of the awards using the hashtag "OscarsSoWhite" on Twitter.

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