The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organization behind the Oscars, has invited 819 artists and execs from 68 countries to join. A press release announcing the 2020 class specifies that 45 percent of the invitees are women, a bit of a dip from last year’s 50 percent. Thirty-six percent of the invitees are from underrepresented racial and ethnic communities, an encouraging uptick from 2019’s 29 percent.
If all the invitees join, the Academy’s membership will include 3,179 women and 1,787 people of color. Per the source, this means that the Academy has surpassed the goal it set in 2016: to double the number of women and POC among its ranks. In 2015, only 1,446 members were women and 554 were from underrepresented racial/ethnic communities. Turning to the ratios, in 2015, 25 percent of members were women and 10 percent were people of color. If all the 2020 invitees join as members, those percentages will be 33 percent and 19 percent, respectively. The numbers are inarguably moving in the right direction, but adequate representation remains a long way off.
Seven branches have invited more women than men this year: Actors, Casting Directors, Costume Designers, Documentary, Executives, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists, and Marketing and Public Relations. POC make up the majority of invitees to these five branches: Actors, Casting Directors, Directors, Music, and Producers.
Awkwafina (“The Farewell”), Natasha Lyonne (“Russian Doll”), Florence Pugh (“Little Women”), Constance Wu (“Hustlers”), Ana de Armas (“Knives Out”), “Booksmart” leads Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, and Adèle Haenel (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”) are among those who have been invited to join the Actors branch of the Academy.
Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”) and filmmakers Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”) and Mati Diop (“Atlantics”) received invitations to multiple branches, but will have to select just one if they join as members. Erivo is invited to the Actors and Music branches, and Wang and Diop are invited to the Writers and Directors categories.
History-making “Star Wars” alumna Victoria Mahoney and “Honey Boy” helmer Alma Har’el are among the Directors invitees. Stella Meghie (“The Photograph”), Lucy Alibar (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”), Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”), Julia Hart (“Fast Color”), and Susanna Fogel (“Booksmart”) received Writers branch invites. The Producers invitees include Chelsea Winstanley (“Jojo Rabbit”), Jessica Elbaum (“Hustlers”), and Pippa Harris (“1917”).
“The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now,” said Academy President David Rubin.
Last month, AMPAS introduced Academy Aperture 2025, an initiative focused on increasing representation within the Academy and throughout the film industry. It involves new inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility, permanently setting the Best Picture nominees at 10, hosting a series of panels discussing race in film, and amending governor bylaws.
The Academy also recently announced the results of its latest board of governors elections. The number of women board members has increased from 25 to 26, and the number of POC has risen from 11 to 12, both historic highs. Ava DuVernay is among the newly elected members.
The Oscars will be held April 25, 2021. You can check out the full list of 2020 member invitees on the Academy’s website.
