In an aboveboard effort to boost diversity, the Academy has added 774 new members to its various branches. The additions come as welcome counterarguments to #OscarsSoWhite and #OscarsSoMale, with a 359% increase in women invited to the Academy and a 331% increase in invitations for people of color.  

In a statement, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said, "We’re proud to invite our newest class to the Academy. The entire motion picture community is what we make of it. It’s up to all of us to ensure that new faces and voices are seen and heard, and to take a shot on the next generation the way someone took a shot on each of us."


"The entire motion picture community is what we make of it."  - Cheryl Boone Isaacs

Actors represent the largest branch of the Academy. As such, that branch received the most additions, the highest-profile of which are Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Judy Greer, Chris Evans, Elle Fanning, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Olsen, Kristen Stewart, Channing Tatum, and Shailene Woodley.

Jordan Peele, Barry Jenkins, Siddiq Barmark, Cate Shortland, and Tom Ford have been inducted into the Directors branch, while Brit Marling and Joss Whedon have joined the Writers branch.

New members of the Cinematography branch include Linus Sandgren (La La Land), James Laxton (Moonlight), and Robert Hardy (Ex Machina).

Joshua Astrachan, producer of Paterson, has been invited to join the Producers branch, along with indie film veteran Lars Knudsen (American Honey) and Sophia Lin (Take Shelter).

Additions to the Documentary branch include Penny Lane and Ezra Edelman, winner of last year's Oscar for Best Documentary for OJ: Made in America.

See the full list of 774 new members here.