Following an invitation to 534 new members in June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has grown its total membership to 11,104, Gold Derby has learned.
That number includes 33 percent who identify as women, and 24 percent from underrepresented communities. In addition, 24 percent of the membership resides in countries or territories outside of the United States, including:
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334 in North America beyond the U.S.
The Academy has practically doubled its membership over the last 13 years. A Los Angeles Times report published in 2012 revealed that the organization had only about 5,800 members at that time. Back then, the membership was reportedly only 6 percent non-white and 23 percent female — abysmally low rates and not nearly reflective of the greater filmmaker or filmgoing population.
The Academy took serious strides to change its demographics after the #OscarsSoWhite controversies of 2015 and 2016, when all 20 acting nominees were white for two consecutive years. In the decade since, there have been more non-white nominees — and winners — than ever before, among them: Viola Davis (Fences), Mahershala Ali (Moonlight and Green Book), Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah), Will Smith (King Richard), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (both for Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez).
Zoe Saldaña at the 2025 OscarsKevin Winter/Getty Images
The changes are making a difference on the Oscar stage. At the most recent ceremony, Saldaña became the first American of Dominican descent to prevail. “I am floored by this honor,” the Best Supporting Actress winner stated at the podium. Meanwhile, Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win his Best Costume Design category.
In addition, the Academy has prioritized expanding its global reach by inviting filmmakers from a wider range of countries and cultural backgrounds. This shift has had a direct impact on the types of films that are nominated, especially for the coveted Best Picture prize. In 2020, Parasite became the first non-English language film to prevail, while others like Roma, Anatomy of a Fall, and I’m Still Here earned Best Picture nominations. Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, who was asked to join the Academy this year, was a major threat to win Best Actress for I’m Still Here, which ultimately claimed the trophy for Best International Feature Film. The changes have resulted in the Oscars becoming a truly international competition, and that should continue this year.
Academy membership is limited to film artists working in the production of theatrically released motion pictures. Members are divided into 19 branches by craft, ranging from actors (the largest bloc, with more than 1,300 members) to writers. A 20th group, the artist representatives, exists for those who work in the film industry as a representative.
Here is the current breakdown of the Motion Picture Academy’s branches:
Makeup artists and hairstylists: 267
Marketing and public relations: 732
Production and technology: 448
Artist representatives: 271
Fernanda Torres at the Venice Film FestivalVittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
The most recent class of invitees included Torres, Gillian Anderson, Dave Bautista, Rachel Brosnahan, Danielle Deadwyler, Stephen Graham, and Jason Momoa. They were among the 534 who were welcomed to join in June. “We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.”
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