Declaring, “The entire motion picture community is what we make of it,” the organization behind the Oscars has revealed a diverse list of the 774 industry professionals invited to become members this year, with more women and people of color asked to become part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
The list includes the Academy Award-winning director of Moonlight, Barry Jenkins, Oscar nominees Ruth Negga (Loving) and Naomi Harris (Moonlight), Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot and television legend Betty White.
The Academy says with this year’s invitees, the number of women invited has risen by 359 percent between 2015 and 2017. The Academy also says there has been a 331 percent increase in the number of people of color invited to join. The organization has been working to increase membership from both those groups after #OscarsSoWhite began trending in response to all-white slates of Oscar nominees.
“It’s up to all of us to ensure that new faces and voices are seen and heard, and to take a shot on the next generation the way someone took a shot on each of us,” said AMPAS President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.
The Academy hopes to double its female and diverse membership by 2020.
