If Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt accept the membership, they will have voting privileges at the 93rd Academy Awards which will be held on April 25, 2021. (Photo: Hrithik Roshan/Instagram and Alia Bhatt/Instagram)
Actors Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt, casting directors Nandini Shrikent and Tess Joseph, costume designer Neeta Lulla, documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain and Amit Madheshiya, visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal and film score composer Nainita Desai are among the 819 people who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The organisation published the list of new invitees on Tuesday. Those who accept the membership will have voting privileges at the 93rd Academy Awards which will be held on April 25, 2021.
Other established names who have also been extended the invite include filmmakers such as Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Ari Aster (Midsommar), actors Ana De Armas (Knives Out), Brian Tyree Henry (If Beale Street Could Talk), Florence Pugh (Little Women), Zendaya, John David Washington among more.
Out of the new invitees, 75 of them are Oscar nominees, while 15 have won the Academy Award in the past. Eight invitees out of the whole lot have been asked to join the Academy by its multiple branches. However, once the invitee accepts the membership, they are required to select only one branch of their choice. The Academy added that 49 per cent of the invitees are international and represent a total of 68 countries.
One of the major goals of the Academy, of late, has been to diversify its ranks. In 2016, the board sought to double its minority membership by 2020, an objective that they have successfully achieved. Women comprise 45 per cent of the 2020 class, while 36 per cent of the new invitees are people of colour.
“We look forward to continuing to foster an Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new Museum, and in our awards,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in a statement.
This is also a landmark year for the Academy as it is the first time that the list of invitees also includes talent agent members.