The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited a record 928 people to join its ranks. As Variety reports, the Academy’s list of invitees has been growing steadily for three years. The body behind the Oscars invited 322 people in 2015, more than doubled that number in 2016 with 683 invitees, and sent invites to 774 people last year.
Forty-nine percent of this year’s invitees are women, and 38 percent are people of color. These numbers top 2017’s demographics, in which 39 percent of invitees were women and 30 percent POC. While the 2018 ratio of women and diverse invitees is impressive, it’s important to remember the Academy, overall, is still extremely white and male: Should all the 2018 invitees become members, the Academy will be 31 percent female and 16 percent POC. This is a slight increase from 2017’s respective 28 percent and 13 percent.
Nine of the Academy’s 19 branches extended invites to more women than men: actors, casting directors, costume designers, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, producers, and public relations. All of the five casting invitees are women; they are Tiffany Little Canfield (“The Greatest Showman”), Kristy Carlson (“Wonder Woman”), Kathleen Chopin (“Florence Foster Jenkins”), Sheila Jaffe (“The Fighter”), and Terri Taylor (“Get Out”). Twenty-eight of the 31 costume design invitees, about 90 percent, are women. They include Caroline Eselin (“Moonlight”), Kate Hawley (“Crimson Peak”), and April Napier (“Lady Bird”).
Among the invitees to the acting branch — the Academy’s largest — are Mindy Kaling, Tiffany Haddish, Blake Lively, Amy Schumer, Daisy Ridley, Daniela Vega, Hong Chau, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Regina Hall, Rashida Jones, Lily James, Lily Collins, Chloe Grace Moretz, Olivia Munn, Amber Tamblyn, Gina Rodriguez, Sarah Silverman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Evan Rachel Wood, and Amandla Stenberg. At age 14, Quvenzhane Wallis is the youngest invitee.
Women didn’t fare as well in other branches. Just seven of the 30 cinematography invitees are women, or 23 percent. While disappointing, this isn’t surprising considering that one woman — “Mudbound’s” Rachel Morrison — has ever been nominated for the cinematography Oscar.
Wanuri Kahiu (“Rafiki”), Angela Robinson (“Professor Marston and the Wonder Women”), and Chloé Zhao (“The Rider”) are among the 10 women directors invited to the Academy. Women comprise 38 percent of that branch’s 26 invitees. As for writers, only 17 of the 59 invitees are female, amounting to 29 percent, including Kelly Fremon Craig (“Edge of Seventeen”), Anita Doron (“The Breadwinner”), and Emily V. Gordon (“The Big Sick”).
As the Academy adds new perspectives and voices — women, POC, and folks from abroad — its membership will slowly but surely start to reflect the real world, and hopefully make the Oscars nominations more inclusive. This year marked several milestones for women at the Academy Awards: Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman to receive a directing nod, Dee Rees the first black woman nominated for adapted screenplay, and Morrison the first woman to score a cinematography nod.
Head over to Variety to check out the Academy’s full list of 2018 invites.
Portions of this post were originally tweeted by Melissa Silverstein. Follow her @melsil.
