Harvey Weinsten kicked out of film academy for sexual assault allegations

Harvey Weinstein has been kicked out of the film academy, the board of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on 14 October, after revoking his membership in light of the accusations claiming that he has been sexually harassing and assaulting women for nearly 30 years.

Weinstein is the second person in the history of the academy to have his lifetime membership revoked, the first being the Godfather actor Carmine Caridi who shared screeners with his neighbour, who ended up being a movie pirate.

A closed-door emergency board meeting was held at the Beverly Hills headquarters, where two-thirds of the Academy's 54 governors voted for Weinstein's expulsion. The board includes famous actors like Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Hanks.

This is seen as somewhat contradictory, as he is not the first actor in the academy to be accused of sexual harassment. Other members, such as Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski, too, have been accused of sexual assault but there was no meeting for their dismissal.

The report on allegations against Weinstein was published first in the New York Times, followed by another one in the New Yorker. Many women have accused Weinstein of assault, rape and sexual harassment.

Membership in Academy is typically for a lifetime, but the organization released a statement this week hinting that its board might vote to kick Weinstein out.

Bruce Feldman, a member of the Academy's public relations branch, told the Hollywood Reporter that he was happy with the decision to dismiss Weinstein but this would automatically generate questions regarding Polanski and Bill Cosby.

Since the allegations against Weinstein went public, Weinstein has been fired from his company, the Weinstein Company, though Variety reports that he has been "furiously resisting efforts to force him out permanently."

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports he's been trying to recruit allies to support him.