Oscar 2006: Academy Invites New Members

July 5, 2006–“Crash” producer Cathy Schulman and actors Eric Bana, Terrence Howard, David Strathairn and Rachel Weisz are among the 120 creative individuals invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

The Academy began going public with its annual list of invitees in 2004, in what many considered a step in getting the org to move with the times.

“It struck us a couple of years ago that people had the impression the Academy was a nameless and faceless organization,” said Academy president Sid Ganis. “We wanted to make sure people understand it is anything but that. The Academy functions with membership participating from every single branch.”

Two years ago, measures were taken to allow the org to fill vacancies from deaths and retirements (nonvoting status) and grow by no more than 30 new members annually while increasing selectivity.

“Instead of inviting every proposed person who has achieved the minimum qualifications for his or her branch, the membership committees are selecting the most exceptionally qualified names from those lists,” Ganis said.

The invitees comprise 21 categories, including executivess Gail Berman and Michael Paseornek; writers Noah Baumbach and Jeffrey Caine; directors Werner Herzog and Mark Waters; and musician Dolly Parton.

New members will be initiated Sept. 20 at the Academy's Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills.

Dakota Fanning's Dilemma

No word on whether Dakota Fanning's parents will allow the 12-year-old to see PG-13 and R-rated films so she can vote on them. “Dakota's parents have been doing a fine job until now, so I'm sure they will continue to do so,” Ganis said.

Full list of invited members for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences:

ACTORS

Amy Adams
Eric Bana
Maria Bello
Dakota Fanning
Jake Gyllenhaal
Terrence Howard
Felicity Huffman
Keira Knightley
Heath Ledger
Hayley Mills
Barry Pepper
Joaquin Phoenix
Jon Polito
Ving Rhames
Liev Schreiber
David Strathairn
Rachel Weisz
Wally Pfister

ANIMATORS

Wayne Allwine
Mark Andrews
Steve Box
John Canemaker
Will Finn
Rex Grignon
Andrew Jimenez
Tim Johnson
Hayao Miyazaki

DIRECTORS

Werner Herzog
Nicole Holofcener
Gavin Hood
Bennett Miller
Mark Waters

DOCUMENTARY

Paola di Florio
Alex Gibney
Hubert Sauper

EXECUTIVES

Gail Berman
Jeff Bewkes
Colin Callender
Andrew E. Cripps
Hal Gaba
Elizabeth Gabler
Douglas Mankoff
Michael Paseornek
Paul Schaeffer
Jonathan Sehring
Michael J. Werner

FILM EDITORS

Tom Finan
Wayne Wahrman
Hughes Winborne

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Andre Caraco
Mary Murphy Conlin
Steve Elzer
Barbara Glazer
Rick Lynch
Steven T. Miller

AT-LARGE

Grover Crisp
Louis D'Esposito
Daniel Glickman
Steve Papazian
David Young

CASTING DIRECTORS

Sarah Halley Finn
Randi Hiller

CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Lance Acord
Paul Cameron
Cesar Charlone
Denis Lenoir
Roberto Schaefer
Sandi Sissel
Tom Stern
Salvatore Totino

COSTUME DESIGNERS

Jacqueline Durran
Janty Yates