The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the candidates who have been elected to its Board Of Governors. Ava DuVernay is among six people who were elected to the board for the first time.
The Salma and 13th director has been elected to represent the directors’ branch of the Academy. This marks a historic new record for women (26) and people of color (12) on the 54-person board. In 2014, the Academy’s disregarding of DuVernay for the best director nomination was one of the things that sparked the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that resulted in significant changes at the Academy.
Also on the board is the actors’ branch governor and Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg who’s among the 10 governors returning to the board for a new three-year term.
Each of the Academy’s 17 branches is represented by three governors, who may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms. The Board is in charge of setting the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
You can find the full list of 2019-20 Academy governors here.
Last month, the Academy Board announced temporary changes in eligibility for the 2020 calendar year one of them is allowing streamers to compete without the usual seven-day qualifying run due to theaters being closed.
