American television and film actor of Ghanaian descent Ato Essilfi Bracato Essandoh and Nigerian actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde have been invited to the Oscars Voting Academy.
The two were named among a tall list of list of other personalities in the movie industry ranging from Directors, Actors, Actresses, Casting Directors, Cinematographers, Costume Designers, Designers, Documentary and many others,
Also known as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science, Ato Essandoh and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde were listed among the record-breaking 928 members to be admitted this year.
Ghana’s Hub For Pop Culture & Urban Entertainment – www.nydjlive.com gathers that Ato Essilfi Bracato Essandoh and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde’s invitation stems from their impeccable performances in various films including Jason Bourne, Django Unchained, Last Flight to Abuja and A Private Storm.
The Academy topped last year’s record of 774 new members. It invited 683 members in 2016 and 322 in 2015, which were also record numbers.
The expansion of Academy membership to more than 9,200 stems from an ongoing effort to diversify its ranks following uproar over the lack of African-American nominees in 2015 and 2016, which culminated in 2016’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Two weeks after the widely criticized nominations were announced, AMPAS announced a goal to double the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020.
If all the 2018 invitees accept, the overall membership would be 9,226.
Monday’s invitations, if accepted, will result in 38% of the Oscars’ governing body’s new class being composed of people of color, increasing their representation from 13% in 2017 to 16%.
Meanwhile, the new class is 49% female, boosting the total representation of women from 28% in 2017 to 31%.
Actors make up about 20% of the Academy’s membership and are its largest branch. The new members come from 59 different countries and include South Korean actress Doona Bae, Algerian actress Sofia Boutella, and Indian actor Ali Fazal.
