The latest round of invitees to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has been announced, with a number of Australian screen practitioners in the mix.
The Academy – the international professional honorary body best known for running the Academy Awards and bestowing the Oscars – has extended new membership invitations to 487 ‘artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures.’
The Australians on this year’s list include: cinematographer Andrew Commis (Blueback, Babyteeth); actor Jason Clarke (Oppenheimer, Zero Dark Thirty); editor Annette Davey (Dreamin’ Wild, Pam & Tommy, Together, Together); production designer Annie Beauchamp (Penguin Bloom, Swan Song, Sleeping Beauty); and Tony McNamara (Poor Things, The Favourite).
The full 2024 cohort of invitees to the Academy include: actors Greta Lee, Catherine O’Hara , Lily Gladstone and Sandra Hüller; cinematographers Jamie Ramsay (All of Us Strangers) and Hidetoshi Shinomiya (Drive My Car); costume designer Holly Waddington (Poor Things); and directors Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You) and Celine Song (Past Lives). You can find the full list here.
Membership selection is often tagged to Oscar nods, and this year there are 71 Oscar nominees, including 19 winners, among the invitees.
Moves towards diversity
In recent years, the Academy has been taken to task about its lack of diversity. In 2014, for instance, journalists worked out that 94% of voters were white, 77% were men and the average age was 63.
The organisation is keen to point out that it’s received the memo, saying membership is based on professional qualifications, ‘with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity’.
According to the media release, women make up 44% of this year’s invitees, which is a 4% increase from 2023. Forty-one per cent are from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities, representing a 7% rise.
Read: Australians invited to join Academy in push for diversity
The branches representing actors, casting directors, costume designers, documentary, executives, makeup artists, and hairstylists have all invited more women than men this year.
Further, 14 branches invited the majority of their candidates from countries or territories outside of the US.
‘We are thrilled to welcome this year’s class of new members to the Academy,’ Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a statement.
‘These remarkably talented artists and professionals from around the world have made a significant impact on our filmmaking community.’
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences currently has a global membership of more than 10,500 people. Australian members added in recent years include director Wayne Blair, producers Rosemary Blight and Kylie Du Fresne, composer Amanda Brown and costume designer Margot Wilson.
For more information head to the Academy Awards website.
