Lena Dunham, Joseph Gordon-Levitt added to Academy
Lena Dunham Image by Getty Images
By Anne Cohen June 28, 2013
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 276 new members to join its 16 branches.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the list of actors invited to join includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jason Schwartzman, Jason Bateman, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Oh, Danny Trejo, Chris Tucker, Emmanuelle Riva and Charles Grondin.
Lena Dunham will be joining the ranks of writers, while Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids,” “The Heat”) and Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”) will be added to the list of directors.
“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy president Hawk Koch. “Their talent and creativity have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and I am proud to welcome each of them to the Academy.”
The Academy had been criticized in recent years for their somewhat restricted membership (read: old white males), and this year was particularly diverse. This can be partly explained by the fact that the quota system used by the Academy, which restricted the number of members that each branch could invite to replace members who retired or passed away, was abolished this year.
Despite the change, Koch said, “We did not change our criteria at all. Yes, this year there is a tremendous amount of women, a tremendous amount of people of color, people from all walks of life. This year, we asked the branches to look at everybody who wasn’t in the Academy but who deserved to be.”
For a full list of new members, click here.
.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
