In a bid to further diversify the Oscars voting body, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited a total of 819 people to join. Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt are amongst the 819 names invited by the Academy. In addition, documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain and Amit Madheshiya, designer Neeta Lulla, casting director Nandini Shrikent, visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal have also been invited.
Filmmaker Milap Zaveri tweeted out his congratulations to Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt. He wrote, “Fabulous! Well deserved! Both @iHrithik and @aliaa08 are super talented super stars. They will be a great addition to the Academy.”
The 2020 list includes esteemed personalities like Ana De Armas, Brian Tyree Henry, Florence Pugh, Lakeith Stanfield, Beanie Feldstein, Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Park So-Dam, and Constance Wu. Moreover, directors like Lulu Wang, Ari Aster, Terence Davies, and Matthew Vaughn are also on the list.
Academy President David Rubin said in a statement issued on Tuesday, “The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now.”
As per the official website, the 2020 class comprises of “45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries. There are 75 Oscar nominees, including 15 winners, and five recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards.”
The Academy also discussed the addition of voting privileges this year in a statement. “Additionally, the membership status of all Artists’ Representatives (agents) will change from Associates to Members-at-Large. As Members-at-Large, agents will now have Oscars voting privileges.”