Academy Invites 529 New Members, Lifting Potential Voting Ranks to 10,338

Q: Will a new eligibility path for global festivals finally allow multiple films from one country to compete for an Oscar?

Yes. Under the Academy’s new rules for the 99th Oscars, multiple films from the same country can now be in the International Feature Film race through separate eligibility routes. The traditional system remains: each country or region can still make only one official submission. But the Academy has added a second path for non-English-language films that win top prizes at six designated festivals — Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Toronto and Busan. A film qualifying this way does not depend on being its country’s official selection. That means a country could have its official entry and, at the same time, another film from the same country become eligible by winning one of those festival awards. In practical terms, this breaks the old one-film-per-country bottleneck at the eligibility stage. The clearest example is Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall.” It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes but was not chosen as France’s official submission. Under the new rule, it would still have qualified, while France’s selected film could also have remained in contention. This does not guarantee multiple nominees from one country, because Academy voting still determines the shortlist and final five. But it does open the door for more than one film from the same nation to compete for a nomination, a significant change for the International Feature category.

3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 24

The Academy on Wednesday invited 529 film professionals to join, including Jacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega, Teyana Taylor and Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
The class includes 95 Oscar nominees, 21 winners and three Scientific and Technical Award recipients, selected through branch sponsorship and board approval rather than open application.
Of the invitees, 42% are women, 56% come from underrepresented communities and 53% are based outside the U.S., spanning 60 countries and territories.
If all accept, total Academy membership would reach 11,319, including 10,338 voting members, with overall representation rising to 36% women, 25% underrepresented communities and 22% international.