Indian filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli and Indian actress Shabana Azmi feature among the 487 artistes and executives who have been invited to join the ranks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The new members would be tasked with selecting the nominees and winners for the Academy Awards. This year's list includes 71 Oscar nominees, among whom are 19 winners.
“We’re proud to announce our newly invited members to the Academy! Meet the Class of 2024,” The Academy posted on its official X handle.
The 2024 invitees span across 19 branches and feature Oscar winners such as Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers); Holly Waddington, costume designer for Poor Things; and the production design team of James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek.
Other notable invitees include Mstyslav Chernov, director of 20 Days in Mariupol; Brad Booker, producer of War Is Over!; sound engineer duo Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn from The Zone of Interest; the Godzilla Minus One VFX team comprising Tatsuji Nojima, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Takashi Yamazaki; Cord Jefferson, writer-director of American Fiction; and Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, the writing duo for Anatomy of a Fall.
Apart from Rajamouli and Shabana, the Indian film industry invitees include Rama Rajamouli, producer Ritesh Sidhwani, cinematographer Ravi Varman, filmmaker Rima Das, and Naatu Naatu choreographer Prem Rakshith.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang issued a joint statement for the new invitees. “We are thrilled to welcome this year’s class of new members to the Academy. These remarkably talented artists and professionals from around the world have made a significant impact on our filmmaking community,” their statement reads.
The Academy highlighted that the 2024 class is comprised of 44 per cent women, 41 per cent from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities and 56 per cent from 56 countries and territories outside the US.
