Profile of Effie T Brown on her website. Image: DulyNoted

Producer of Dear White People and Rocket Science,  Effie Brown, has voiced her opinions about the lack of diversity in Hollywood.

Speaking at the Women at Sundance Brunch yesterday Brown said that in order to change the inbalance, people have to take action.

She added that standing back and doing nothing about the situation, was as good as supporting it.

Terrific turnout for the Women at Sundance Brunch 2016 #filmfatales #sundancewomen @sundancelabs https://t.co/f5zqXDyM9U

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Film Fatales (@FilmFatalesNYC) January 25, 2016

Brown also said that by taking a back seat, women and ethnic minorities had to some extent been complicit in creating the current situation:

Somehow, we co-signed this. Somehow, we participated.

Brown urged everyone in the audience to ‘hire, mentor, and invest’ in women and people of colour.

This is not the first time the producer has been a voice for diversity; she locked horns with Matt Damon on American television show Project Greenlight over the same issue last year.

This prompted a backlash on social media.

Finally watching Project Greenlight. The scene where Matt Damon shoots down Effie Brown highlighting diversity was worse than I'd imagined.

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Jonterri Gadson (@JaytotheTee) October 25, 2015

The issue of diversity has been at the forefront of the run-up to this year’s Oscars.

Not one black actor was nominated in any of the four acting catagories for 2016’s Academy Awards, sparking anger amongst many actors and directors.

Artist and Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen has weighed in on the #OscarsSoWhite row artnt.cm/23qxloC

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  (@artnet) January 26, 2016

In response to the nominations, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite began trending again last week.

Actors such as Jade Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith are boycotting the ceremony, and many others are considering joining them.

But Best Actress nominee Charlotte Rampling, said that the boycott was racist towards white people.

Charlotte Rampling: Promoting diversity in Oscar nominations is "racist to whites" huff.to/1S1jLEq https://t.co/uWFpkc3MUm

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Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) January 24, 2016

The Oscars diversity row prompted Sir Ian McKellen to speak out about the fact that no openly gay man has ever won an Academy Award for Best Actor, either.

Sir Ian McKellen says lack of Oscars diversity doesn't just apply to black people trib.al/ybINIRq https://t.co/3qZRp9PzdZ

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Sky News (@SkyNews) January 25, 2016

The Academy responded on Friday, proposing new plans to revolutionise The Oscars and to diversify the voting members.

The new rules include a ten year limit on voting privileges, meaning you can only vote if you have worked in the last ten years.

And the Academy has committed to doubling the number of women and ethic minority members by 2020.