New film academy members include Danielle Deadwyler, Ariana Grande, Jason Momoa, Conan O’Brien
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
NEW YORK (AP) — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited 534 new members to its organization on Thursday, adding recent Oscar nominees and many more to Hollywood’s most exclusive club.
The newest class of Oscar voters includes a number of stars like Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Danielle Deadwyler and Andrew Scott. They, along with filmmakers, below-the-line professionals and executives will bring the film academy’s membership total to 11,120, with voting members numbering 10,143.
That’s the largest membership ever for the academy. Since the #OscarsSoWhite backlash, the film academy has added thousands of members to swell its ranks and diversify its voting body. This year’s class is 41% female, 45% from underrepresented communities and 55% from outside the U.S.
Those new members will make the entire academy 35% women, 22% from underrepresented communities and 21% international.
“We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy,” said academy chief executive Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang in a statement. “Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.”
Invitations went out to 91 Oscar nominees and 26 winners, including best actress winner Mikey Madison (“Anora”) and best supporting actor winner Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”). Recent nominees who were invited include Ariana Grande, Jeremy Strong, Sebastian Stan and Monica Barbara. Gints Zilbalodis, the director of best animated film winner “Flow” will join the animation branch.
Other filmmakers set to join the academy include Mike Flanagan (“Doctor Sleep”), Azazel Jacobs (“His Three Daughters”), Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”), Coraline Fargeat (“The Substance”) Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”), Halina Reijn (“Babygirl”) and Gia Coppola (“The Last Showgirl”).
Payal Kapadia (“All We Imagine As Light”), Lena Waithe (“Queen & Slim”) and Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley of “Sing Sing” were all invited in the writers branch. In the music branch, new members include Brandi Carlile (“Elton John: Never Too Late”), Branford Marsalis (“Rustin”) and Youssou N’Dour (“Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love”).
The last two emcees to host the Oscars — Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien — were also invited as members. After a well-reviewed broadcast that drew 19.7 million viewers, O’Brien is returning to host the 2026 Academy Awards on March 15.
A few new rules will await the 2025 academy members.
For the first time, members will be required to watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final road of Oscar voting. This year, a new award category for casting will be voted on for the upcoming Oscars. The academy has also established a new Oscar for stunt design, but that won’t be given out until 2028.