The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer and newly elected president Janet Yang announced Wednesday in an email Academy members will be invited to sit for the annual Oscars starting next March Awards ceremony.
Over the past two years, due to the COVID-19 protocol. Wednesday’s announcement, which also includes the return of the membership annual ticket lottery, was inspired by a member’s suggestion to include more Academy members at its annual awards ceremony. The email provided to The Hollywood Reporter also mentions that the November lottery is in progress Governor’s Award.
The email also indicates that a new team will oversee in-person member screenings in Los Angeles, New York and London: “The filmmakers and artist groups will also begin this fall and will be on Added to the Academy Screening Room. We’re also resuming screenings in San Francisco, and a committee of members will be formed later this fall to help guide these initiatives.” The team is also exploring additional screenings in other cities around the world.
The Academy Screening Room will continue to offer international feature films, and the Academy will host virtual events in person and for members of the Best International Feature category. Following the announcement of the shortlist in December, 15 selected international Features will screen in Los Angeles, New York and London.
This email also includes an update on the college’s grant program, which was discontinued for budgetary reasons during the pandemic. The program was not included in the current budget the college created in June, but Cramer and Young said they would “continue to build on our strong talent development, education and community programs s within the Academy (including the Academy Museum)” and “the focus is now on investing in the film industry beyond traditional funding to maximize impact. This is We will continue to evaluate things with the College Board Education and Outreach Committee as we build the most effective ways to build a more inclusive future for our industry and support the communities around us.”
Deadline was the first to report the news.
