The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) today took a few more steps forward on diversity and inclusivity, inviting 842 new members from 59 countries to join the organization.
Fully half of the new members invited today are women, the Academy said, bringing its overall female membership up to 32%, compared to just 25% when its diversity initiative began in 2015. At that rate, it will take another decade to reach parity, but the improvement is substantial.
Racial diversity has increased, too, with people of color making up 29 percent of today’s new members. The proportion of people of color in the Academy has doubled in the same four year period, climbing to 16% in 2019 from a poor showing of just 8% in 2105.
As has been the case for the last several years, the Academy seems to have filled some gaping holes in its ranks, bringing large numbers of deserving women into the organization along with filmmakers from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. A complete list of new AMPAS members is available at the Academy’s website.
