Film Academy Invites 819 New Members, Surpasses Diversity Goals
BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA) -- On Tuesday, 819 entertainment industry executives and artists were invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"The academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences,'' academy President David Rubin said in a statement. "We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now.''
With these new invitations, the Academy has successfully completed a multi-year goal to double its ranks of women and people of color. The 2020 member class is 45% female and 36% from"underrepresented ethnic/racial communities."
The new members are also 49% international, representing 68 countries, according to the Academy.
In 2016, the Academy set diversity-expansion goals to double the number of women and minorities within the organizations membership, sparked by the "#OscarsSoWhite" movement that criticized the predominantly white nominees in major award categories. The new member class allowed the Academy to surpass its goal.
This year, with 819 people invited, the Academy welcomes its third largest member class in its 93-year history. In 2018, 928 people were invited. In 2019, 842 were invited.
The Academy recently announced "representation and inclusion'' standards for Oscar eligibility, in an effort to encourage more equitable hiring practices in the film industry. The organization also committed to nominating 10 films in the best picture category each year, which is also meant to help expand the array of nominees.
"We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one,'' academy CEO Dawn Hudson said. "We are committed to staying the course...We look forward to continuing to foster an academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new museum and in our awards.''
Notable invitees to the 2020 member class include actors Cynthia Erivo ("Harriet"), John David Washington ("BlacKkKlansman), Awkwafina ("The Farewell"), and Florence Pugh ("Little Women"). Directors invited include Ari Aster ("Midsommar"), Lulu Wang ("The Farewell"), and Alma Har'el ("Honey Boy").
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
