Kajol, Suriya and Reema Kagti among 397 invited for Academy membership

Actors Kajol and Suriya, director-writer Reema Kagti, documentary filmmakers Sushmit Ghosh-Rintu Thomas are among some of the prominent Indian names that have been invited to be a part of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences this year. Oscar winners Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur and Billie Eilish are also among the 397 individuals who have been invited to join the Academy.
The organization that puts on the Oscars said Tuesday that 44 percent of the 2022 class identifies as women, 50 percent come from outside of the US and 37 percent are from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities. If the invitees accept, which most do, they will have voting privileges at the 95th Academy Awards.
Actors invited this year include Anya Taylor-Joy, Jessie Buckley, Gaby Hoffman, Belfast co-stars Jamie Dornan and Caitríona Balfe, as well as Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee, both of The Power of the Dog. There is also a significant international presence as well, with invites going to India’s Kajol (My Name is Khan), Iran’s Amir Jadidi (A Hero), Norway’s Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), France’s Vincent London (Titane), Nigeria’s Funke Akindele (Jenifa) and Japan’s Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car).
Directors on the list include Andrew Ahn (Fire Island), Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard), Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary II), Amy Seimetz (She Dies Tomorrow) and Isabel Sandoval (Lingua Franca).
Several people, including Flee director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Drive My Car writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi and CODA writer-director Sian Heder, were invited in multiple branches, but they must choose one when accepting.
In the music branch, Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connell was also invited, alongside Dan Romer (Luca) and Nathan Johnson (Knives Out). And writing branch invitees include Jeremy O. Harris (Zola), Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians), Alex Ross Perry (Listen Up Philip), Jon Spaihts (Dune) and Craig Mazin (The Hangover Part II).
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Every year the academy invites a new batch of entertainment professionals to join the organization. Though an Oscar nomination is not a requirement, it is often a starting point. The 2022 class of invitees, for instance, includes 71 Oscar nominees and 15 winners.
The academy has for years put a special emphasis on diversifying their ranks. If all accept from this year’s class, 34 percent of the academy would be women, 19 percent from an underrepresented community and 23 percent from outside of the United States.