Hrithik Roshan, Alia Bhatt among 819 people invited to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt are among the 819 prospective new members invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Other invitees with an Indian connect include co-founder of Chennai-based Qube Cinema Technologies, V Senthil Kumar, documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain and Amit Madheshiya, costume designer Neeta Lulla, composer Nainita Desai, casting directors Nandini Shrikent and Tess Joseph, and visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal.

According to the Academy, the 2020 class is “45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries.”

In all, there are 75 Oscar nominees, including 15 winners and five recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards. Those who accept the invitations will have voting rights for the 93rd Academy Awards (to be held on April 25, 2021).

“It was a huge surprise to receive the invitation this morning,” Senthil shares. “It’s an amazing honour because I truly respect the work the Academy has been doing for the betterment of the arts and sciences. It takes finesse to develop and honour technology that is needed to make cinema happen. The Academy, of course, is best known for the Oscars awards, which it hosts in the most democratic manner in the US. I think this invitation validates the work Qube Technologies has been doing in the world of digital cinema. 

Senthil adds that the push for diversity among Academy members had already started last year. “I think they have achieved their targets of having more representation for women and races. I am looking forward to representing Indian cinema as a whole and not just the Mumbai industry, which has taken the limelight.”He is also excited to vote for the 93rd Oscars. “It is a difficult job to be objective about these movies but I hope to contribute my best.”

Among this year’s global invitees, the names include actors Ana de Armas (Knives Out, Blade Runner 2049), Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Jang Hye-Jin and Jo Yeo-Jeong (Parasite), directors Ari Aster (Midsommar, Hereditary), Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse), writer-director Shane Carruth (Primer, Upstream Color) and others.

“The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences,” said Academy President David Rubin in a statement. “We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now.”

You can find the full list here:

https://www.oscars.org/news/academy-invites-819-membership