The Academy Invites 819 To Its Membership

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 819 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. 

The 2020 class is 45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries.  There are 75 Oscar® nominees, including 15 winners, and five recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards.  Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2020.

“The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences.  We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now,” said Academy President David Rubin.

In 2016, the Academy set specific inclusion goals as part of its A2020 initiative to double the number of women and underrepresented ethnic/racial communities by 2020.  Through dedicated and intentional work by the Board of Governors and members on the branch executive committees, the Academy has surpassed both these goals.

The Academy recently announced the next phase of its equity and inclusion initiative, Academy Aperture 2025, which will further the organization’s ongoing efforts to advance inclusion in the entertainment industry and increase representation within its membership and the greater film community.  The initial phase of Academy Aperture 2025 outlined specific goals for the Oscars® and Academy governance, membership, and workplace culture.

“We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one.  We are committed to staying the course.  I cannot give enough thanks to all our members and staff who worked on the A2020 initiative and to our head of Member Relations and Awards, Lorenza Muñoz, for her leadership and passion in guiding us through to this point and helping to set the path going forward.  We look forward to continuing to foster an Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new Museum, and in our awards,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.

Eight individuals (noted by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches.  These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.

Additionally, the membership status of all Artists’ Representatives (agents) will change from Associates to Members-at-Large.  As Members-at-Large, agents will now have Oscars voting privileges. 

The 2020 invitees are: 

Actors

Yalitza Aparicio – “Roma”
Awkwafina – “The Farewell,” “Crazy Rich Asians”
Zazie Beetz – “Joker,” “High Flying Bird”
Alia Bhatt – “Gully Boy,” “Raazi”
Bobby Cannavale – “The Irishman,” “The Station Agent”
Choi Woo-Shik – “Parasite,” “The Divine Fury”
Zendaya Coleman – “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” “The Greatest Showman”
Tyne Daly – “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming”
Mackenzie Davis – “Terminator: Dark Fate,” “Tully”
Ana de Armas – “Knives Out,” “Blade Runner 2049”
Kaitlyn Dever – “Booksmart,” “Detroit”
Cynthia Erivo* – “Harriet,” “Widows”
Pierfrancesco Favino – “The Traitor,” “Rush”
Beanie Feldstein – “Booksmart,” “Lady Bird”
Zack Gottsagen – “The Peanut Butter Falcon”
David Gyasi – “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Interstellar”
Adèle Haenel – “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “BPM (Beats Per Minute)”
Kelvin Harrison Jr. – “Waves,” “Luce”
Brian Tyree Henry – “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Widows”
Huang Jue – “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” “The Lady in the Portrait”
Jang Hye-Jin – “Parasite,” “Poetry”
Jo Yeo-Jeong – “Parasite,” “The Target”
Udo Kier – “The Painted Bird,” “Shadow of the Vampire”
Lee Jung-Eun – “Parasite,” “Okja”
Eva Longoria – “Overboard,” “Harsh Times”
Natasha Lyonne – “Honey Boy,” “American Pie”
Tzi Ma – “The Farewell,” “Arrival”
George MacKay – “1917,” “Captain Fantastic”
Tim McGraw – “Country Strong,” “The Blind Side”
Thomasin McKenzie – “Jojo Rabbit,” “Leave No Trace”
Ben Mendelsohn – “Ready Player One,” “Animal Kingdom”
Rob Morgan – “Just Mercy,” “Mudbound”
Niecy Nash – “Downsizing,” “Selma”
Genevieve Nnaji – “Lionheart,” “Road to Yesterday”
Park So-Dam – “Parasite,” “The Priests”
Teyonah Parris – “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Chi-Raq”
Florence Pugh – “Little Women,” “Lady Macbeth”
Hrithik Roshan – “Super 30,” “Jodhaa Akbar”
James Saito – “Always Be My Maybe,” “Big Eyes”
Alexander Siddig – “Cairo Time,” “Syriana”
Lakeith Stanfield – “Knives Out,” “Sorry to Bother You”
Yul Vazquez – “Gringo,” “Last Flag Flying”
John David Washington – “BlacKkKlansman,” “Monsters and Men”
Olivia Wilde – “Meadowland,” “Rush”
Constance Wu – “Hustlers,” “Crazy Rich Asians”
Wu Jing – “The Wandering Earth,” “Wolf Warrior”
Zhao Tao – “Ash Is Purest White,” “Mountains May Depart”

Casting Directors

Orit Azoulay – “The Kindergarten Teacher,” “The Band’s Visit”
Libia Batista – “Eres Tú Papá?,” “Viva”
Javier Braier – “The Two Popes,” “Wild Tales”
Anja Dihrberg – “A Hidden Life,” “Clouds of Sils Maria”
Leïla Fournier – “BPM (Beats Per Minute),” “Eastern Boys”
Timka Grin – “With Mom,” “In the Land of Blood and Honey”
Des Hamilton – “Jojo Rabbit,” “Melancholia”
Carla Hool – “A Better Life,” “Sin Nombre”
Camilla-Valentine Isola – “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” “Goya’s Ghosts”
Tess Joseph – “Aladdin,” “Lion”
Julia Kim – “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” “Starlet”
Eva Leira – “Pain and Glory,” “Biutiful”
Kirsty McGregor – “Lion,” “Animal Kingdom”
Yesi Ramirez – “The Hate U Give,” “Moonlight”
Yolanda Serrano – “Pain and Glory,” “Biutiful”
Nandini Shrikent – “Gully Boy,” “Life of Pi”
Magdalena Szwarcbart – “Cold War,” “Schindler’s List”
Toshie Tabata – “Shoplifters,” “Tokyo Tribe”
Sarah Teper – “BPM (Beats Per Minute),” “Eastern Boys”
Hila Yuval – “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” “Beaufort”

Cinematographers

Todd Banhazl – “Blow the Man Down,” “Hustlers”
Jarin Blaschke – “The Lighthouse,” “The Witch”
Nicola Daley – “Pin Cushion,” “I Am a Girl”
Óscar Faura – “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “The Imitation Game”
Takeshi Hamada – “Sakura Guardian in the North,” “Departures” 
Chayse Irvin – “BlacKkKlansman,” “Hannah”
Ron Johanson – “Freedom,” “The Woman Inside”
Polly Morgan – “Lucy in the Sky,” “The Truth about Emanuel”
Trent Opaloch – “Avengers: Endgame,” “District 9”
Larkin Seiple – “Luce,” “Kin”
Ken Seng – “Terminator: Dark Fate,” “Deadpool”
Vladimír Smutný – “The Painted Bird,” “Kolya”
Jörg Widmer – “A Hidden Life,” “Pina”
Jasper Wolf – “Instinct,” “Monos”
Katsumi Yanagijima – “Battle Royale,” “Dear Doctor”

Costume Designers

Massimo Cantini Parrini – “Dogman,” “Tale of Tales”
Choi Seyeon – “Parasite,” “Okja”
Lisy Christl – “White House Down,” “Anonymous”
Caroline De Vivaise – “Shadow of the Vampire,” “Germinal”
Nicoletta Ercole – “Letters to Juliet,” “Under the Tuscan Sun”
Catherine George – “Okja,” “Snowpiercer”
Danielle Hollowell – “Girls Trip,” “Undercover Brother”
Neeta Lulla – “Jodhaa Akbar,” “Devdas”
Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh – “Love & Friendship,” “Becoming Jane”
Dayna Pink – “Bumblebee,” “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World”
Dorota Roqueplo – “Hiszpanka,” “The Mill and the Cross”
Judy Shrewsbury – “High Life,” “Let the Sunshine In”
Amy Westcott – “Black Swan,” “The Wrestler”
Denise Wingate – “Live Free or Die Hard,” “Wedding Crashers”

Directors

Ali Abbasi – “Border,” “Shelley”
Levan Akin – “And Then We Danced,” “The Circle”
Francesca Archibugi – “A Question of the Heart,” “Tomorrow”
Ari Aster – “Midsommar,” “Hereditary”
Icíar Bolláin – “Even the Rain,” “Take My Eyes”
Kat Candler – “Hellion,” “Jumping off Bridges”
Felipe Cazals – “El Año de la Peste,” “Canoa: A Shameful Memory”
Cristina Comencini – “Latin Lover,” “Don’t Tell”
Sebastián Cordero – “Europa Report,” “Crónicas”
Terence Davies – “The House of Mirth,” “The Long Day Closes”
Sophie Deraspe – “Antigone,” “A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile”
Mati Diop* – “Atlantics,” “A Thousand Suns”
Robert Eggers – “The Lighthouse,” “The Witch”
Luis Estrada – “The Perfect Dictatorship,” “Herod’s Law”
Sydney Freeland – “Deidra & Laney Rob a Train,” “Drunktown’s Finest”
Bette Gordon – “Handsome Harry,” “Variety”
Maggie Greenwald – “Sophie and the Rising Sun,” “The Ballad of Little Jo”
Megan Griffiths – “Sadie,” “The Night Stalker”
Alma Har’el – “Honey Boy,” “Bombay Beach”
Sterlin Harjo – “Mekko,” “Barking Water”
Kathleen Hepburn – “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open,” “Never Steady, Never Still”
Jan Komasa – “Corpus Christi,” “Warsaw ’44”
Tamara Kotevska* – “Honeyland”
Alejandro Landes – “Monos,” “Porfirio”
John H. Lee – “Operation Chromite,” “71: Into the Fire”
Ladj Ly* – “Les Misérables”
Victoria Mahoney – “Yelling to the Sky”
Samira Makhmalbaf – “At Five in the Afternoon,” “The Apple”
Mai Masri – “3000 Nights,” “33 Days”
Akin Omotoso – “Vaya,” “Tell Me Sweet Something”
Matt Reeves – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Cloverfield”
Ljubo Stefanov* – “Honeyland”
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers – “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open,” “ćəsnaʔəm, the city before the city”
Maria Tognazzi – “Me, Myself & Her,” “A Five Star Life”
Jorge Alí Triana – “Bolívar Soy Yo,” “A Time to Die”
Matthew Vaughn – “Kick-Ass,” “Layer Cake”
Lulu Wang* – “The Farewell,” “Posthumous”
Wash Westmoreland – “Still Alice,” “Quinceañera”
Andrés Wood – “Araña,” “Violeta Went to Heaven”

Documentary

Shirley Abraham – “The Hour of Lynching,” “The Cinema Travellers”
Joelle Alexis – “The Green Prince,” “A Film Unfinished”
Cristina Amaral – “Um Filme de Verão (A Summer Film),” “Person”
Liran Atzmor – “King Bibi,” “The Law in These Parts”
Violeta Ayala – “Cocaine Prison,” “The Bolivian Case”
Julia Bacha – “Naila and the Uprising,” “Budrus”
Robert Bahar – “The Silence of Others,” “Made in L.A.”
Nels Bangerter – “Cameraperson,” “Let the Fire Burn”
Malek Bensmaïl – “The Battle of Algiers, a Film within History,” “La Chine Est Encore Loin (China Is Still Far)”
Sara Bernstein – “Rebuilding Paradise,” “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley”
Yael Bitton – “Advocate,” “Machines”
Garrett Bradley – “Time,” “Alone”
Salem Brahimi – “Abd El-Kader,” “Africa Is Back”
Vincent Carelli – “Martírio,” “Corumbiara: They Shoot Indians, Don’t They?”
Almudena Carracedo – “The Silence of Others,” “Made in L.A.”
Paola Castillo – “Beyond My Grandfather Allende,” “Genoveva”
Daniel Chalfen – “The Infiltrators,” “Silenced”
Chaowei Chang – “Chong Tian (The Rocking Sky),” “The Road to Fame”
Lisa Kleiner Chanoff – “Life Overtakes Me,” “Watchers of the Sky”
Alison Chernick – “Itzhak,” “Matthew Barney: No Restraint”
Kasper Collin – “I Called Him Morgan,” “My Name Is Albert Ayler”
Inadelso Cossa – “A Memory in Three Acts,” “Xilunguine, the Promised Land”
Laura Coxson – “The Proposal,” “Iris”
Maria Cuomo Cole – “Newtown,” “Living for 32”
Emma Davie – “Becoming Animal,” “I Am Breathing”
Adam Del Deo – “Quincy,” “Every Little Step”
Whitney Dow – “When the Drum Is Beating,” “Two Towns of Jasper”
Kelly Duane de La Vega – “The Return,” “Better This World”
Sandi Dubowski – “A Jihad for Love,” “Trembling before G-d”
Carol Dysinger – “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl),” “Camp Victory, Afghanistan”
Paz Encina – “Memory Exercises,” “Paraguayan Hammock”
Ali Essafi – “Sheikhates Blues,” “Général, Nous Voilà!”
Ina Fichman – “The Oslo Diaries,” “The Wanted 18”
David France – “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson,” “How to Survive a Plague”
Asako Fujioka – “Shukufuku (Blessed)”
Atanas Georgiev* – “Honeyland,” “Cash & Marry”
Linda Goldstein Knowlton – “We Are the Radical Monarchs,” “Somewhere Between”
Robert Greene – “Bisbee ’17,” “Kate Plays Christine”
Pernille Rose Grønkjær – “Hunting for Hedonia,” “The Monastery”
Tala Hadid – “House in the Fields,” “Windsleepers”
Amelia Hapsari – “Rising in Silence,” “Fight like Ahok”
John Haptas – “Life Overtakes Me,” “Tokyo Waka”
Jessica Hargrave – “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “Good Ol’ Freda”
Monica Weston Hellström – “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” “15 Min – The Massacre”
Sonja Henrici – “Donkeyote,” “I Am Breathing”
Jerry Henry – “City of Gold,” “American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs”
Alice Henty – “The Dog Doc,” “The Work”
Robin Hessman – “Simple as Water,” “My Perestroika”
Nishtha Jain – “Gulabi Gang,” “Lakshmi and Me”
Rachel Leah Jones – “Advocate,” “Gypsy Davy”
Gary Byung-Seok Kam – “In the Absence,” “Planet of Snail”
Toni Kamau – “I Am Samuel,” “Softie”
Anne Köhncke – “Pervert Park,” “The Act of Killing”
Tamara Kotevska* – “Honeyland,” “Lake of Apples”
Hajooj Kuka – “Live from Mogadishu,” “Beats of the Antonov”
Richard Ladkani – “Sea of Shadows,” “The Ivory Game”
Véronique Lagoarde-Ségot – “Amal,” “5 Broken Cameras”
Peter Lataster – “Miss Kiet’s Children,” “Awake in a Bad Dream”
Petra Lataster-Czisch – “Miss Kiet’s Children,” “Awake in a Bad Dream”
Erez Laufer – “Rabin in His Own Words,” “One Day after Peace”
Monica Lazurean-Gorgan – “A Mere Breath,” “Chuck Norris vs. Communism”
Bo Li – “Our Time Machine,” “Plastic China” 
Allyson Luchak – “This Is Not a Movie,” “One Nation under Dog”
Amit Madheshiya – “The Hour of Lynching,” “The Cinema Travellers”
Vinnie Malhotra – “16 Shots,” “Ivory Tower”
Jeffrey Malmberg – “Spettacolo,” “Marwencol”
Vitaly Mansky – “Putin’s Witnesses,” “Under the Sun”
Andrea Meditch – “Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops,” “Grizzly Man”
Thomas G. Miller – “Limited Partnership,” “One Bad Cat: The Reverend Albert Wagner Story”
Todd Douglas Miller – “Apollo 11,” “Dinosaur 13”
Rima Mismar
Nicole Newnham – “Crip Camp,” “The Rape of Europa”
Bianca Oana – “Colectiv (Collective),” “Turn Off the Lights”
Jacki Ochs – “Out of My Head,” “Letters Not about Love”
Mariana Oliva – “The Edge of Democracy,” “Piripkura”
Göran Hugo Olsson – “That Summer,” “The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975”
Deborah Oppenheimer – “Foster,” “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport”
Iván Osnovikoff – “Los Reyes,” “La Muerte de Pinochet (The Death of Pinochet)”
Tiago Pavan – “The Edge of Democracy,” “Olmo and the Seagull”
Bettina Perut – “Los Reyes,” “La Muerte de Pinochet (The Death of Pinochet)”
Nicolas Philibert – “To Be and to Have,” “In the Land of the Deaf”
Diane Quon – “The Dilemma of Desire,” “Minding the Gap”
Claudia Raschke – “RBG,” “Mad Hot Ballroom”
Marina Razbezhkina – “Optical Axis,” “Winter, Go Away!”
Jeff Reichert – “American Factory,” “Remote Area Medical”
Lisa Remington – “Foster,” “Feminists: What Were They Thinking?”
Yoruba Richen – “The New Black,” “Promised Land”
Jihan Robinson – “Pahokee,” “Traveling While Black”
Marta Rodriguez – “Our Voice of Earth, Memory and Future,” “Campesinos (Peasants)”
Erich Roland – “The Final Year,” “Waiting for “Superman””
Maureen A. Ryan – “1971,” “Wisconsin Death Trip”
Sophie Sartain – “Seeing Allred,” “Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh”
Elhum Shakerifar – “Of Love & Law,” “Even When I Fall”
Karin Slater – “Sisters of the Wilderness,” “The Meaning of the Buffalo”
Jason Spingarn-Koff – “The White Helmets,” “Life 2.0”
Ljubo Stefanov* – “Honeyland,” “Lake of Apples”
Michèle Stephenson – “American Promise,” “Slaying Goliath”
David Tedeschi – “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese,” “George Harrison: Living in the Material World”
Douglas Tirola – “Bisbee ’17,” “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead”
Mila Turajlic – “The Other Side of Everything,” “Cinema Komunisto”
Noland Walker – “Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story,” “Citizen King”
Yvonne Welbon – “The New Black,” “Sisters in Cinema”
Chris White – “Midnight Traveler,” “Quest”
Yi Seung-Jun – “In the Absence,” “Planet of Snail”
Donald Young – “Daze of Justice,” “Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings”
Miranda Yousef – “Misconception,” “Troubadours”
Yolande Zauberman – “M,” “Classified People”
Zhou Hao – “The Chinese Mayor,” “Cotton”
Michel Zongo – “No Gold for Kalsaka,” “The Siren of Faso Fani”

Executives

Jillian Apfelbaum
Ozzie Areu
Tarak Ben Ammar
Mark Boxer
Ian Bricke
Agnes Chu
Ronni Coulter
Tonia Davis
Louisa Dent
Jeff Deutchman
Danielle Diego
Holly Edwards
Ellen Ruth Eliasoph
Elissa Federoff
Stacey Fong
Philip Goore
Elishia Holmes
Robin Jonas
Robert Warren Kessel
Jonathan Kier
Spencer Klein
Jean Labadie
Ashley Levinson
Laura Lewis
Teresa Moneo
Dave Neustadter
Barbara Peiro
Chan Phung
Stephen R. Plum
Laurene Powell Jobs
Tom Prassis
Pamela Reynolds
Frank Rodriguez
Paul Martin Roeder
Eric Roth
Jennifer Salke
Ann Sarnoff
Teddy Schwarzman
Lori Silfen
Terry Steiner
Priya Swaminathan
Jeannine Tang
Gregg Taylor
Kevin Ulrich
Mimi Valdes
Krista Wegener
Erin Westerman
Danice Woodley
Tom Yoda

Film Editors

Catherine Apple – “Onward,” “Hotel Transylvania”
Andrew Bird – “In the Fade,” “The Edge of Heaven”
Konstantin Bock – “Capernaum”
Andrew Buckland – “Ford v Ferrari,” “The Girl on the Train”
Francesca Calvelli – “The Traitor,” “No Man’s Land”
Alejandro Carrillo Penovi – “Heroic Losers,” “The Clan”
Przemysław Chruścielewski – “Corpus Christi,” “The Last Family”
David Coulson – “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” “Whale Rider”
Patrick Don Vito – “Three Christs,” “Green Book”
Tom Eagles – “Jojo Rabbit,” “What We Do in the Shadows”
Kayla M. Emter – “Hustlers,” “The Immigrant”
Louise Ford – “The Lighthouse,” “The Witch”
Madeleine Gavin – “City of Joy,” “What Maisie Knew”
Atanas Georgiev* – “Honeyland,” “These Are the Rules”
Jeff Groth – “Joker,” “War Dogs”
Nick Houy – “Little Women,” “Lady Bird”
Carole Kravetz Aykanian – “Ghost World,” “Devil in a Blue Dress”
Julien Lacheray – “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Girlhood”
Jennifer Lame – “Marriage Story,” “Manchester by the Sea”
Igor Litoninskiy – “Beanpole,” “Stalingrad”
Alex Marquez – “Snowden,” “Savages”
Benjamin Massoubre – “I Lost My Body,” “The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales”
Kelly Matsumoto – “Fast & Furious 6,” “The Mummy Returns”
Roberto Perpignani – “The Postman (Il Postino),” “The Night of the Shooting Stars”
Fred Raskin – “Once upon a Time…in Hollywood,” “Django Unchained”
David Ian Salter – “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story 2”
Tambet Tasuja – “Truth and Justice,” “Take It or Leave It”
Michael Taylor – “The Farewell,” “Love Is Strange”
Yang Jinmo – “Parasite,” “Okja”

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists

Ma Kalaadevi Ananda – “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “12 Years a Slave”
Anji Bemben – “Overboard,” “Watchmen”
Gregory Funk – “Once upon a Time…in Hollywood,” “The Way Back”
Barrie Gower – “Rocketman,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Colleen LaBaff – “Iron Man 3,” “Hitchcock”
Marese Langan – “Emma,” “Belle”
Alberto Moccia – “Zama,” “The German Doctor”
Greg Nelson – “Tropic Thunder,” “Dad”
Nina Paskowitz – “Jobs,” “Iron Man”
Mari Paz Robles – “I Dream in Another Language,” “Cantinflas”
David Ruiz Gameros – “Tear This Heart Out,” “Amores Perros” 
Tapio Salmi – “Rocketman,” “Chéri”
Susana Sánchez – “The Liberator,” “Goya’s Ghosts”
Esmé Sciaroni – “Like Crazy,” “Days and Clouds”
Brian Sipe – “Avengers: Endgame,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
Mike Smithson – “The Lone Ranger,” “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”
Vera Steimberg – “Dolemite Is My Name,” “Dreamgirls”
Debbie Zoller – “Pitch Perfect,” “I Heart Huckabees”

Marketing and Public Relations

Christopher Albert
Jade Alex
Mia Ammer
Jon Anderson
Shani Ankori
Amy Astley
Karen Barragan
Emily Bear
Maggie Begley
Brooke Blumberg
Meghann Burns
Sheri Callan
Inma Carbajal-Fogel
Mark Carroll
Emmanuelle Castro
Candice Chen
Tom Chen
Staci R. Collins Jackson
Ray Costa
Arnaldo D’Alfonso
Maitena de Amorrortu
Sylvia Desrochers
Clay Dollarhide
Peter Dunne
Laura Dyer
Ekta Farrar
Liza Burnett Fefferman
Michael Fisk
Dana Flowers
Venus Fong
Fernando Garcia
Rona K. Geller
Scott Goldman
Amy Grey
Harlan Gulko
Yuka Hoshino
Stephen Huvane
Lana Iny
Allison Jackson
Claudia Kalindjian
Teni Karapetian
Craig Karpel
Joshua Kornblit
Nancy Lan
Elaine Christine LaZelle
Maxine Leonard
Alan Lobel
Weelin Loh
Liz Mahoney
Miguel Mallet
Carol Marshall
Charles McDonald
Michael McIntyre
Olivier Mouroux
Charlie Olsky
Julia Pacetti
Tom Parker
Spencer Peeples
Rose Zello Phillips
Chris Regan
Rene Ridinger
Mary Goss Robino
Samantha Rosenberg
Dustin M. Sandoval
Heather Ann Secrist
Adam J. Segal
Susie Shen
Amanda Joy Sherwin
Jamie Shor
Gina Soliz
Gordon Spragg
Patrick Starr
Ken Sunshine
Rachel Tash
Albert Tello
Keleigh Thomas Morgan
Kyle David Thorpe
Claudia Tomassini
Adriana Trautman
Jayne Trotman
Beatrice Wachsberger
Marcos Waltenberg
Joe Wees
Marla Weinstein
Kimberly Wire
Damon Wolf
Judy Woloshen
Anne Yoo
Ramzy Zeidan
Flora Zhao

Music

Clinton Bennett – “After,” “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”
Tamar-Kali Brown – “The Last Thing He Wanted,” “Mudbound”
Joshuah Brian Campbell – “Harriet”
Chanda Dancy – “After We Leave,” “Everything before Us”
Nainita Desai – “The Reason I Jump,” “For Sama”
Arhynn Descy – “Eye for an Eye,” “50 Kisses”
Bryce Dessner – “Irresistible,” “The Two Popes”
Cynthia Erivo* – “Harriet”
Ilan Eshkeri – “Stardust,” “Layer Cake”
Robert Andre Glasper – “The Photograph,” “Mr. Soul!”
Katie Greathouse – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
Andrea Guerra – “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “Hotel Rwanda”
Tom Howe – “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,” “Charming”
Chad Hugo – “The Black Godfather,” “Hidden Figures”
Devonté “Blood Orange” Hynes – “Queen & Slim,” “Fifty Shades of Grey”
Jung Jae-Il – “Parasite,” “Okja”
Peter Kam – “Dragon,” “The Warlords”
Lele Marchitelli – “Loro 1,” “The Great Beauty”
Cyril Paul Henri Morin – “Zaytoun,” “Samsara”
Khaled Mouzanar – “Capernaum,” “Where Do We Go Now?”
Larry Mullen Jr. – “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” “Man on the Train”
Blake Neely – “Assassins,” “Life as We Know It”
Roger Neill – “20th Century Women,” “Beginners”
Michael Nyman – “Gattaca,” “The Piano”
Sattar Oraki – “The Salesman,” “Give Back”
Michiru Oshima – “Memories of Tomorrow,” “Lost Paradise”
Park Inyoung – “Pieta,” “Poongsan”
Max Richter – “Ad Astra,” “Waltz with Bashir”
Patrice Rushen – “Men in Black,” “Indecent Proposal”
Jeff Russo – “Lucy in the Sky,” “Hondros”
Arturo Sandoval – “Richard Jewell,” “The Mule”
Anton Sanko – “Fractured,” “Ouija”
Jermain Stegall – “Proximity,” “Jamesy Boy”
Bernie Taupin – “Rocketman,” “Brokeback Mountain”

Producers

Zeynep Özbatur Atakan – “The Wild Pear Tree,” “Winter Sleep”
Toufik Ayadi – “Les Misérables,” “Château”
Christophe Barral – “Les Misérables,” “Château”
Sam Bisbee – “The Hero,” “Other People”
Edher Campos – “Sonora, the Devil’s Highway,” “The Golden Dream”
Nicolas Celis – “Roma,” “Tempestad”
Bénédicte Couvreur – “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Girlhood”
Jessica Elbaum – “Hustlers,” “Booksmart”
Elda Ferri – “The Soul Keeper,” “Life Is Beautiful”
Brad Corwin Fuller – “A Quiet Place,” “The Purge”
Alex Garcia – “Kong: Skull Island,” “Desierto”
Anna Gerb – “A Most Violent Year,” “All Is Lost”
Rana Joy Glickman – “God Said Ha!,” “Full Tilt Boogie”
Jared Ian Goldman – “Ingrid Goes West,” “Wilson”
Pippa Harris – “1917,” “Blood”
Brian Kavanaugh-Jones – “Honey Boy,” “Midnight Special”
Kwak Sin-Ae – “Parasite,” “Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned” 
Enrique López Lavigne – “The Impossible,” “Sex and Lucia”
Álvaro Longoria – “Everybody Knows,” “Finding Altamira”
Mónica Lozano – “I Dream in Another Language,” “Instructions Not Included”
Gabriela Maire – “Las Niñas Bien (The Good Girls),” “La Caridad (Charity)”
Luis Manso – “Champions,” “Binta and the Great Idea”
Shannon McIntosh – “Once upon a Time…in Hollywood,” “The Hateful Eight”
Andrew Miano – “The Farewell,” “A Single Man”
Tim Moore – “Richard Jewell,” “Sully”
Matías Mosteirin – “The Clan,” “Wild Tales”
Ryan Murphy – “A Secret Love,” “Running with Scissors”
Carthew Neal – “Jojo Rabbit,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”
Tommy Oliver – “The Perfect Guy,” “Kinyarwanda”
Clark Peterson – “Rampart,” “Monster”
Gabriela Rodríguez – “Roma,” “Gravity”
Rosalie Swedlin – “The Wife,” “Laggies”
Mar Targarona – “Secuestro (Boy Missing),” “The Orphanage”
Luis Urbano – “Letters from War,” “Tabu”
Alicia Van Couvering – “Cop Car,” “Tiny Furniture”
Faye Ward – “Wild Rose,” “Stan & Ollie”
Chelsea Winstanley – “Jojo Rabbit,” “What We Do in the Shadows”
Ryan Zacarias – “The Mountain,” “Mediterranea”

Production Design

Andrew Baseman – “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Eat Pray Love”
Markus Bensch – “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” “V for Vendetta”
Livia Borgonogni – “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” “La Stoffa dei Sogni”
Sandra Cabriada – “Instructions Not Included,” “The Mexican”
Andrew Max Cahn – “Up in the Air,” “The Hangover”
S. Todd Christensen – “Sicario,” “Moneyball”
Paola Comencini – “Io Sono Tempesta,” “Don’t Tell”
Alex DiGerlando – “The Dead Don’t Die,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Robert Foulkes – “Ford v Ferrari,” “La La Land”
Elli Griff – “Ghost in the Shell,” “Edge of Tomorrow”
Darryl Henley – “Aquaman,” “Blade Runner 2049”
Molly Hughes – “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” “War Horse”
Kevin Kavanaugh – “Only the Brave,” “The Dark Knight Rises”
Noah Klocek – “Onward,” “The Good Dinosaur”
Jamie Lapsley – “Tommy’s Honour,” “Kill Command”
Estefanía Larraín – “A Fantastic Woman,” “Neruda”
Harriet Lawrence – “Overlord,” “Suffragette”
Alan Lee – “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”
Lee Ha Jun – “Parasite,” “Okja”
Wing Lee – “The First Purge,” “Stoker”
Barbara Ling – “Once upon a Time…in Hollywood,” “Fried Green Tomatoes”
Jim Magdaleno – “First Man,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Margaret (Peg) McClellan – “Brokedown Palace,” “Leave It to Beaver”
Akin McKenzie – “Wildlife,” “Aftermath”
Robin Miller – “Gemini Man,” “Spider-Man”
Phil Norwood – “The Lion King,” “Baywatch”
Harry Otto – “Star Trek Beyond,” “American Sniper”
Missy E. Parker – “Hidden Figures,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
Hope Parrish – “X-Men: First Class,” “The Net”
Jay Pelissier – “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “The Fate of the Furious”
Janice Polley – “Blackhat,” “Collateral”
Anna Rackard – “Haywire,” “Ondine”
Michèle St-Arnaud – “Arrival,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past”
Lee Sandales – “1917,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
Bob Shaw – “The Irishman,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Mark Tildesley – “High-Rise,” “Sunshine” 
Ra Vincent – “Jojo Rabbit,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Peter Walpole – “Cloud Atlas,” “V for Vendetta”
Peter Wenham – “Inferno,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
Jeremy Woolsey – “Hidden Figures,” “Pitch Perfect”

Short Films and Feature Animation

Frank E. Abney – “Incredibles 2,” “Coco”
Mounia Akl – “Submarine,” “Eva”
Dekel Berenson – “Anna,” “Ashmina”
Lorelay Bove – “Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph”
Jamaal Bradley – “The Croods,” “Puss in Boots”
Colin Brady – “Everyone’s Hero,” “A Bug’s Life”
Gary Bruins – “Inside Out,” “Up”
Matthew A. Cherry – “Hair Love,” “Forward”
Sue-Ellen Chitunya – “Grandpa’s Hands,” “Team Marilyn”
Jérémy Clapin* – “I Lost My Body,” “Palmipédarium”
Bruno Collet – “Memorable,” “Son Indochine”
Josh Cooley – “Toy Story 4,” “Inside Out”
Emanuela Cozzi – “ParaNorman,” “The Prince of Egypt”
BJ Crawford – “The Peanuts Movie,” “Ice Age: Continental Drift”
Philip Dale – “Kubo and the Two Strings,” “Coraline”
Everett Downing – “Hair Love,” “WALL-E”
Marc du Pontavice – “I Lost My Body,” “Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie”
Robert Ducey – “Kubo and the Two Strings,” “Coraline”
Sonya Dunn – “End of the World,” “The Bedroom”
Fabian Erlinghauser – “Song of the Sea,” “The Secret of Kells”
Jean-Loup Felicioli – “Phantom Boy,” “A Cat in Paris”
Giovanna Ferrari – “The Breadwinner,” “Song of the Sea”
José David Figueroa García – “Perfidia,” “Ratitas”
Michael Ford – “The Angry Birds Movie 2,” “Hotel Transylvania”
Alain Gagnol – “Phantom Boy,” “A Cat in Paris”
Maryann Garger – “Astro Boy,” “Flushed Away”
Axel Geddes – “Toy Story 4,” “Finding Dory”
Delphine Girard – “A Sister,” “Caverne”
Philippe Gluckman – “Rise of the Guardians,” “Antz”
Ian Gooding – “Moana,” “The Princess and the Frog”
Oscar Grillo – “Monsters, Inc.,” “Monsieur Pett”
Otto Guerra – “City of Pirates,” “Wood & Stock: Sexo, Orégano e Rock’n’Roll”
Patrick Hanenberger – “Smallfoot,” “Rise of the Guardians”
Aaron Hartline – “Up,” “Robots”
Deborah Haywood – “Twinkle, Twinkle,” “Sis”
Sabine Heller – “The Peanuts Movie,” “Rio”
Isabel Herguera – “Winter Love,” “Under the Pillow”
Lizzy Hobbs – “The Flounder,” “I’m OK”
Faren Humes – “Liberty,” “Our Rhineland”
Mino Jarjoura – “Saria,” “Asad”
Marcel Jean – “Sleeping Betty,” “La Pirouette”
Meryam Joobeur – “Brotherhood,” “Born in the Maelstrom”
Daria Kashcheeva – “Daughter,” “To Accept”
Paul Kewley – “Early Man,” “Shaun the Sheep Movie”
Anita Killi – “Angry Man,” “The Hedge of Thorns”
Sayoko Kinoshita – “A Little Journey,” “Pica Don”
Michelle Kranot – “Nothing Happens,” “Hollow Land”
Uri Kranot – “Nothing Happens,” “Hollow Land”
Ka’ramuu Kush – “Sundays at Noon,” “Salvation Road”
Jean-François Le Corre – “Memorable,” “This Magnificent Cake!”
Hyun-min Lee – “Moana,” “Big Hero 6”
Matt Lefebvre – “Saria,” “Asad”
Eric Leighton – “Coraline,” “The Nightmare before Christmas”
Niki Lindroth von Bahr – “Something to Remember,” “The Burden”
Andy London – “I’m in the Mood for Death,” “The Back Brace”
Summer Joy Main-Muñoz – “Don’t Say No,” “La Cerca”
Damien Megherbi – “Nefta Football Club,” “Wicked Girl”
Deanna Morse – “Recipe for Birds,” “Whispers of the Prairie”
Bob Moyer – “Toy Story 4,” “Up”
Mark Nielsen – “Toy Story 4,” “Inside Out”
Wanjiru M. Njendu – “Boxed,” “The Dinner Guest”
Justin Pechberty – “Nefta Football Club,” “Wicked Girl”
Amy Pfaffinger – “Moana,” “Frozen”
Yves Piat – “Nefta Football Club,” “Tempus Fugit”
Julia Pistor – “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie”
Charlotte Regan – “My Boy,” “Standby”
Milo Riccarand – “The Secret Life of Pets,” “Despicable Me”
Stéphan Roelants – “The Breadwinner,” “Song of the Sea”
Kirsikka Saari – “After the Reunion,” “Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?”
Ahmad Saleh – “Ayny,” “Maa Baa”
Dan Scanlon – “Onward,” “Monsters University”
Sheila Sofian – “Survivors,” “Secret Rage”
Jason Stalman – “Isle of Dogs,” “Kubo and the Two Strings”
Colin Stimpson – “The Secret Life of Pets,” “We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story”
Chris Sullivan – “Consuming Spirits,” “Ain’t Misbehavin!” 
Amos Sussigan – “Swan Cake,” “Broken Wing”
Michael J. Travers – “The Peanuts Movie,” “Ice Age”
Saschka Unseld – “The Blue Umbrella,” “Toy Story 3”
Eric Wachtman – “Kubo and the Two Strings,” “Coraline”
Fusako Yusaki – “The Rose of the Winds,” “Winter Days”
Juan Pablo Zaramella – “Luminaris,” “The Glove”

Sound

Katia Boutin – “The Mustang,” “Elle”
James Boyle – “Edge of Tomorrow,” “World War Z”
Choi Tae Young – “Parasite,” “The Host”
Cary Clark – “Ford v Ferrari,” “Lucy in the Sky”
Christian T. Cooke – “The Shape of Water,” “A Dangerous Method”
Midge Costin – “Armageddon,” “Crimson Tide”
Martin Czembor – “First Reformed,” “Solace” 
Evan Daum – “The Purge,” “World War Z”
Adriano Di Lorenzo – “The Traitor,” “Nico, 1988”
Pavel Doreuli – “Stalingrad,” “A Good Day to Die Hard”
Rana Eid – “Ismaii,” “Nuts”
Mattias Eklund – “Polar,” “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared”
David Esparza – “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Equalizer”
Paula Fairfield – “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Mother!”
David Lew Farmer – “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Ant-Man”
Robert Farr – “Peterloo,” “We Need to Talk about Kevin”
Julie Feiner – “The Revenant,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Cyril Holtz – “The Sisters Brothers,” “Elle”
Tateum Kohut – “Escape Room,” “Zombieland”
Frank Kruse – “Rush,” “Cloud Atlas”
Anne Le Campion – “Chant d’Hiver,” “The Ghost Writer”
Dessie Markovsky – “Mr. Brooks,” “Bliss”
Bill Meadows – “Star Trek Beyond,” “The Revenant”
Ryan Murphy – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Godzilla”
Steven Robert Nelson – “Neighbors,” “American History X”
Colin Nicolson – “Murder on the Orient Express,” “T2 Trainspotting”
Stephen Peter Robinson – “Aquaman,” “The Revenant”
Warren Shaw – “Beauty and the Beast,” “Tower Heist”
Steve Slanec – “Kong: Skull Island,” “Finding Dory”
Martin Steyer – “The Captain,” “Rush”
Donald Sylvester – “Ford v Ferrari,” “The Fault in Our Stars”
James M. Tanenbaum – “Avatar,” “Volcano”
Ian Tapp – “Annihilation,” “Slumdog Millionaire”
Rachael Tate – “1917,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
Gisle Tveito – “Utøya: July 22,” “Force Majeure”
Jean Umansky – “Incendies,” “Amélie”
Tony Volante – “Hold the Dark,” “Limitless”
Mandell Winter – “The Equalizer 2,” “The Magnificent Seven”
Frank Wolf – “Aladdin,” “Charlie’s Angels”

Visual Effects

David Alexander – “Cliffs of Freedom,” “The Laundromat”
Jon Franklin Alexander – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Noah” 
Vishal Anand – “Bharat,” “War”
Berj Bannayan – “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” “Geostorm”
John Bell – “Rango,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
Tami Carter – “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Lucy”
Ahdee Chiu – “The Wandering Earth,” “The Last Stand”
Ryan Michael Church – “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron”
Todd Constantine – “Jumanji: The Next Level,” “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”
Ryan Cook – “The Call of the Wild,” “Rampage”
Karin Margarete Cooper – “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Kong: Skull Island”
Dan Cox – “The A-Team,” “Gulliver’s Travels”
Nick Marc Epstein – “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”
Leandro Estebecorena – “The Irishman,” “Kong: Skull Island”
Luca Fascione – “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Avengers: Endgame”
Greg Fisher – “The Jungle Book,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Aaron Gilman – “Alpha,” “Pacific Rim Uprising”
Stephane Grabli – “The Irishman,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
Darin Grant – “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” “Kung Fu Panda 2”
Jeremy Hays – “The Call of the Wild,” “Once upon a Time…in Hollywood”
Sandeep Kamal – “Panipat,” “Jal”
Sidney Olivier Kombo-Kintombo – “Avengers: Endgame,” “War for the Planet of the Apes”
Hoiyue Harry Lam – “Midway,” “The Wandering Earth”
Mårten Larsson – “Avengers: Endgame,” “Pixels”
Patrick Ledda – “Dumbo,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”
Gong Myung Lee – “Triple Frontier,” “Deadpool 2”
Richard Little – “1917,” “The Jungle Book”
Doug Moore – “12 Strong,” “Ant-Man”
Elliot Newman – “The Lion King,” “The Jungle Book”
Artemis Oikonomopoulou – “Annihilation,” “Thor: Ragnarok”
Mihaela Orzea – “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”
Mike Anthony Perry – “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” 
Todd Sheridan Perry – “Black Panther,” “Doctor Strange”
Nick Rasmussen – “Ready Player One,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
Marco Revelant – “Gemini Man,” “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
Jason Schugardt – “Clown,” “In the Blood”
David Seager – “Aladdin,” “Terminator: Dark Fate”
Amy Shepard – “Playing with Fire,” “Doctor Strange”
Bill Spitzak – “Abominable,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
Olcun Tan – “Doctor Sleep,” “Thor: Ragnarok”
Dmitry Tokoyakov – “Beyond the Edge,” “Furious”
James Tooley – “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
Leandro Visconti – “Lion’s Heart,” “The Innocents”
Paige Warner – “Terminator: Dark Fate,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”
Matt Welford – “A Dog’s Way Home,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming”
Victor Wong – “The Founding of an Army,” “Rise of the Legend”
Max Wood – “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” “Suicide Squad”
Ged Wright – “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “22 July”

Writers

Narges Abyar – “Breath,” “Track 143”
Lucy Alibar – “Troop Zero,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
David Berenbaum – “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” “Elf”
Jez Butterworth – “Ford v Ferrari,” “Edge of Tomorrow”
John-Henry Butterworth – “Ford v Ferrari,” “Edge of Tomorrow”
Shane Carruth – “Upstream Color,” “Primer”
Jérémy Clapin* – “I Lost My Body”
Sabrina Dhawan – “Kaminey,” “Monsoon Wedding”
Mati Diop* – “Atlantics,” “A Thousand Suns”
Susanna Fogel – “Booksmart,” “The Spy Who Dumped Me”
Michel Franco – “Chronic,” “After Lucia”
Giordano Gederlini – “Les Misérables,” “The Invader”
Han Jin Won – “Parasite”
Julia Hart – “Fast Color,” “Miss Stevens”
Gregory Allen Howard – “Harriet,” “Ali”
Amy Jump – “A Field in England,” “Sightseers”
Ladj Ly* – “Les Misérables”
Alexis Manenti – “Les Misérables”
Stella Meghie – “The Photograph,” “Jean of the Joneses”
Najwa Najjar – “Between Heaven and Earth,” “Eyes of a Thief”
Tyler Nilson – “The Peanut Butter Falcon”
Mateusz Pacewicz – “Suicide Room: Hater,” “Corpus Christi”
Pamela Pettler – “Monster House,” “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride”
Michael Schwartz – “The Peanut Butter Falcon”
Lulu Wang* – “The Farewell,” “Posthumous”
Krysty Wilson-Cairns – “1917”
Wally Wolodarsky – “Trolls World Tour,” “Monsters vs Aliens”

Members-at-Large

Alan Selby Albert
Wade Allen
Hank Amos
Colin Russell Anderson
Pete Antico
Trevor Astbury
Alberto Barbera
Christina Bazdekis
Kyetay Beckner
Bonnie Bernstein
Bob Bowen
Joey Box
Troy Brown
Todd A. Bryant
Trey Cannon
Rocky Capella
Carlo Chatrian
Christina Chou
Carter Cohn
Eliza Coleman
John Cooper
John Copeman
Emerson Davis
Willem de Beukelaer
Jack Deutchman
Sandra Evers-Manly
Simon Faber
Roy Farfel
Shayne Fiske Goldner
Dominique Fouassier
Thierry Frémaux
Joe Gawler
Nick Gillard
Michelle Grady
Annemarie Griggs
Markus Gross
Bill Hogan
Ashley Holland
Petra Holtorf-Stratton
Rowley Irlam
Ernest Jackson
Julianne Jordan
Peter King
Henry Kingi Jr.
Adam Kirley
James Knight
Blair Kohan
Jessica Kovacevic
Benjamin Kramer
V. Senthil Kumar
Paul A. Levin
Alexander LoVerde
Lap Van Luu
Jane Maguire
JJ Makaro
Arnon Manor
Chelsea McKinnies
Tricia Carol Miles
James Mockoski
Daniel Molina
Carlos Morales
Phil Neilson
Yasmine Pearl
Meyash Prabhu
Kate Richter
Sally Riley
Scott Rogers
Michael Scherer
Sarah Self
James Skotchdopole
Bec Smith
Michael Solinger
Ryan Stafford
Jessica Teach
Julien Thuan
Jesse Torres
Tim Trella
Mark Vanselow
Rosalie Varda
William Washington
Talitha Watkins
Patricia Whitcher
Sally Baldwin Willcox
Michael Wise
Michelle Wright
Richard Wright
Daisy Wu
Jo Yao
Mira Yong

Associates

Richard L. Bennett

LAND OF MINE – Review

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In the realm of “docudramas”, the one war that seems to be a bottomless well of stories is that second World War (and usually the sequel comes up short). Film makers bring us tales often unknown by the general public. Last (and endured) week, we were given a new spin on II’s predecessor WW I in THE OTTOMAN LIEUTENANT (mind you a fiction story with a real historical backdrop). This week sees another little known story of the war in Europe. Less than a year ago, an assassination plot against a high-ranking Nazi stationed in Czechoslovakia was dramatized in ANTHROPOID (still sounds like a monster movie to me). And at last year’s Academy Awards the story of the Sonderkommandos, SON OF SAUL, took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. This week’s new release travels a bit north for a view of the war. Actually, it’s not the war, but rather post-war, with the ink still drying on the peace treaties. But things are still far from peaceful. Oh, and this film scored an Oscar nom, though THE SALESMAN took home the statuette last month. With the recent hit animated film, many may think of Denmark as the land of Lego, but for this new film it’s the LAND OF MINE.

It’s May of 1945, Germany has finally surrendered, but Danish Sgt. Carl Rasmussen (Roland Moller) is still in full combat mode. After venting his rage on a group of defeated enemy soldiers, he is given his post-war assignment. He will oversee a group of German prisoners-of-war as they find and disarm several hundred landmines buried in the beach on the West Coast of Denmark (the Axis believed that this would be the locale for the Allied invasion). Incredibly dangerous work, but the sergeant believes they should “clean up the mess they made”. Then when he meets his charges, the grizzled military man is stunned. The fourteen POWs look to be barely over 14, more boys than men. Nonetheless, he escorts them to their ocean front locale, a rundown shack that’s deserted save for a small cottage and farmhouse nearby occupied by a young single mother and her six year-old daughter. Carl and his trusty dog oversee the boys as the carefully poke the sand and clear the beach (luckily they have a crude map of the landmine placement). These boys must carry on this deadly mission while dealing with a lack of food (prisoners are low priority while the locals are hungry). As the days pass, the sergeant gets to know his crew, especially the twins Ernst and Werner (Emil and Oskar Belton), their high-ranking office, the twitchy Helmut (Joel Basman), and their real leader, the compassionate Sebastian (Louis Hofmann). Surprising himself, Carl begins to respect the lads, perhaps they have released his paternal instincts. He soon realizes that the military’s promise to send the boys home once the beach is cleared may not be kept. What can he do? And what will he do?

This largely unknown historical tidbit from over 70 years ago makes for an interesting story, but the talented ensemble are what makes it so compelling. Luckily the story’s main focus is expertly portrayed by the riveting Moller as a very tough but complex soldier. In the powerful opening scene he is truly a Sergeant fury, a “clenched fist” of a man nearly as explosive as any hidden landmine. Rasmussen insists that the age of his charges doesn’t matter, he only sees the uniform of the enemy. We’re not told of his background or family, but we wonder if he’s lost everything and everyone aside from his loyal pooch, the only recipient of his smile. Slowly we see his icy demeanor begin to melt, but not without enormous resistance. Finally he begins to question himself and his superiors, as the fallen foes become human beings in his eyes. One superior, Liuetenant Ebbe played by Mikkel Boe Folsgaard, never has such an epiphany, his humanity almost replaced by his cold dead-eyed stare. The POWs are composed of a group of superb actors, with Hofmann outstanding as the kind, older brother surrogate Sebastian to the group. Eventually he breaks through to the sergeant, even engaging in a sweet, almost father-son discussion of faith. Basman’s character is a bit more complex, as his Helmut is equal parts venal and pathetic, trying to appear tough, while taunting his brothers in arms. Speaking of brothers, The Belton twins as the Lessner sibs have perhaps the most heartbreaking subplot. When tragedy strikes, one of them becomes one of the walking dead, a haunted soul now completely lost. He reminds everyone of their possible gruesome fate.

Writer/director Martin Zanvilet has crafted a remarkable war drama devoid of gun-blazing battles, but just as spellbinding and suspenseful. While we squirm in our seats during the tense defusion sequences , he also gives us a moral quandary to consider. Yes, these soldiers were part of Hitler’s army, but with the war finished, how long must they pay the price for their homeland’s evil? Most look far too young to be part of the Axis forces. Perhaps in those last days any boy who could hold a rifle was scooped up, torn from their families, destined to be “cannon fodder”. As the sergeant says, “As they are dying, they cry for their mammas”. Certainly the Danes suffered, but many became “sore winners”, hoping that the “mine scrubbers” would be erased by their country’s own weapons. This gives an extra heft to the scenes in which the lads outline their unlikely future plans (“I will work in a factory” “I just want to EAT!”). It’s challenging fare for audiences used to just rooting for the “good guys” to triumph over the “bad guys”. LAND OF MINE is a bold statement on the rules of combat and morality that explodes our ideas about “peace time”.

4 out of 5

LAND OF MINE opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

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Academy Originals Asks Hollywood About Their Favorite Movies

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STAR WARS, E.T., RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, BACK TO THE FUTURE – movies we watch over and over. Everyone has a list of favorites they love to watch.

The Academy recently asked what movie they’ve watched the most in the latest edition of Academy Originals.

Speaking of movies, the biggest awards show is just a few months away  –  the 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

http://www.oscars.org/

Director Curtis Hanson Dies at Age 71

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One of the most celebrated film makers of the last four decades has died. Here’s how the New York Times reported it….
Curtis Hanson, the film director whose adaptation of the James Ellroy noir novel “L.A. Confidential” won him an Academy Award, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 71.

The death was confirmed by Officer Jenny Houser, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. She said that officers had been called to the house shortly before 5 p.m., and that Mr. Hanson had died of natural causes.

Julie Mann, his business manager, said Mr. Hanson had been struggling for some time with a form of dementia.

 

 

Let’s take a look at his long career. His first screen credit is for helping to adapt H.P. Lovecraft’s short story in the 1970 American International Pictures’ THE DUNWICH HORROR starring Sandra Dee and Dean Stockwell. Three years later Hanson was a triple threat as writer, producer, and director of the low-budget Tab Hunter thriller, SWEET KILL. In 1978 he scripted the crime caper flick SILENT PARTNER starring Christopher Plummer, Elliot Gould, Susannah York, and John Candy. Two years later Hanson was back behind the camera as director/producer of the action kids’ comedy DIRTY DRAGONS. He next collaborated with iconic director Sam Fuller on the script for the controversial WHITE DOG in 1982 The next year was a busy one as the screenwriter of the Disney wilderness adventure NEVER CRY WOLF and as director of the 60’s set teen sex farce LOSIN’ IT starring a post RISKY BUSINESS Tom Cruise, Jackie Earl Haley, and Shelley Long.

 

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In 1987 Hanson wrote and directed the Hitchcock influenced mystery THE BEDROOM WINDOW starring Steve Guttenberg and Isabelle Huppert, and also directed (under the alias Edward Collins) the zombie horror flick EVIL TOWN. 1990 saw him back in thriller territory directing the Rob Lowe/ James Spader BAD INFLUENCE. Two years later Hanson had his biggest commercial hit, directing the psychological nail-biter THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE featuring a showdown between mother Annabella Sciorra and Rebecca De Mornay that would inspire countless made-for-basic-cable-TV flicks.

 

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In another two years Hanson helped turn Oscar darling Meryl Streep into an action heroine in the outdoor survival action epic THE RIVER WILD.

 

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1997 saw the release of Hanson’s most acclaimed film. He pulled triple duty (directing, co-producing, and co-screenwriter) on the movie adaptation of James Ellroy’s noir ode to the “city of angels”, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. It was gritty 1953-set whodunit involving high-priced star look-a-like call girls, mobsters, gossip rags, and corrupt cops (except for noble Bud White, a role that firmly established Russell Crowe as a major star). And it earned Hanson his only Oscar, for adapting the book with Brain Helgeland (Kim Basinger grabbed one for supporting actress). It might’ve nabbed Best Picture if not for that flick about the boat and the iceberg.

 

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Hanson’s follow-up was quite a change of pace. He directed and co-produced WONDER BOYS based on Michael Chabon’s quirky college-set comic romance and featuring a most impressive cast: Michael Douglas, Robert Downey, Jr., Toby Maguire, Frances McDormand and Katie Holmes. It garnered tons of favorable reviews and tanked at the box office.

 

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But Hanson bounced back in 2002 as the director/producer of the semi-autobiographical rap drama 8 MILE telling the slightly fictionalized story of its star, hip-hop superstar Eminem and co-starring Basinger as his boozy mother. It snagged an Oscar for Best Original Song and was a smash box office hit.

 

8mile

That same year Hanson was in front of the camera playing Streep’s husband in ADAPTATION. He returned to directing and producing with the sister sibling “dramedy” IN HER SHOES with Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine. Two years later Hanson handled the same chores in addition to co-wrtiting the screenplay on the drama set in the world of professional poker players, LUCKY YOU which starred Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore. His last feature film was the 2014 family friendly true surfing sports saga CHASING MAVERICKS starring Gerard Butler. Unfortunately, due to illness, Hanson was unable to finish directing the film and Michael Apted was brought into to finish it.

 
Curtis Hanson was also a well-respected film historian and scholar. For a short time he was editor of Cinema magazine. In 1999 Hanson became the first chairman of the UCLA Film and television Archive, and in he was a member of the Directors’ Branch of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

 

We hope you’ll take the time to sample some of his films. Mr. Hanson has left an outstanding body of work, a legacy that movie lovers will study and enjoy forever.

The Academy’s 2016 Summer Screening Series Includes WEST SIDE STORY And MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO

IDAHO

The Academy celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Academy Film Archive with the screening series “Archival Revival – 25 years of the Academy Film Archive,” curated from the extensive, diverse collection of motion pictures that the archive has restored and preserved. The series, which runs fromJuly 18 through September 12, will showcase a broad range of titles – musicals, documentaries, silent films, Pre-Code comedies, experimental films and horror classics.

In 1991 the Academy’s Board of Governors made a commitment to create a world-class archive for the preservation, restoration, documentation and study of motion pictures. The Academy Film Archive currently holds more than 190,000 elements, including trailers, feature films, and the film collections of such artists as Alfred Hitchcock, Penelope Spheeris, James Wong Howe, Albert Maysles and Su Friedrich. It also holds the collections of such institutions and programs as the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and the Student Academy Awards.

Take an inside look at the Academy Film Archive here and view its restoration work here.

The series schedule is as follows:

WEST SIDE STORY (1961) – JULY 187:30 p.m.
at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
with actors George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn and Maria Jimenez Henley, and producer Walter Mirisch

Presented in 70mm. Film print struck from the original negative.

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961) – JULY 267:30 p.m.
at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
with producer-director Roger Corman and producer Julie Corman

Debuting a new 35mm print made by the Academy Film Archive with support from Roger Corman, Julie Corman and Jon Davison.

THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ (1982) – AUGUST 17:30 p.m.
at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
with actor Edward James Olmos and director Robert M. Young, hosted by documentarian Lourdes Portillo

This restoration world premiere is presented as part of the Academy’s participation in Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles, taking place from September 2017 through January 2018 at more than 60 cultural institutions across Southern California. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty. The presenting sponsor is Bank of America.

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952) – AUGUST 87:30 p.m.
at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
with Derek Hough, choreographer, two time Emmy winner and six-time “Dancing with the Stars” champion

Screening an original 35mm Technicolor print.

CONSTANCE TALMADGE RESTORED:
THE PERFECT WOMAN
(1920) and GOOD NIGHT, PAUL (1918) – AUGUST 117:30 p.m.
at the Linwood Dunn Theater
with musical accompaniment by Joe Rinaudo

The Academy’s newly restored 1915 Fotoplayer is unveiled for its inaugural public performance.

THE FRONT PAGE (1931) and COCK OF THE AIR (1932) – AUGUST 157:30 p.m.
at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater

THE FRONT PAGE is a restoration West Coast premiere of the rediscovered “American” release version, and COCK OF THE AIR is a restoration world premiere of the original uncensored “Pre-Code” release version.

PLASTIC REALITIES: FILMS BY SUZAN PITT AND PAT O’NEILLAUGUST 257:30 p.m.
at the Linwood Dunn Theater
with filmmakers Suzan Pitt and Pat O’Neill

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (1991) – SEPTEMBER 127:30 p.m.
at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
with director Gus Van Sant

Screening of a new 35mm print.

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EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT – The Review

embraceoftheserpent

The following  contains material from the November 2015 review when the film was presented at the St. Louis International Film Festival.

We often hear people remark about how they’ve got a tune or melody “stuck in their head”. The same thing could be said for certain…magical…memorable films. An image or a sequence can stay in your brain for a long, long while. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT is one such cinematic experience. It’s based on a true story. Oh wait, it’s based on two true stories, linked together by one remarkable man and, perhaps, the most famous, celebrated river in the world, the Amazon. And the man is Karamakate, the last shaman of his jungle tribe. We first meet him in 1940, deep into his sixties as played by Antonio Bolivar, when he encounters a man foreign to his home, an American scientist Richard Evans Schultes (Brionne Davis), who is in search of the healing plant, the yakruna. He had read about it in the diary of another scientist, Germany’s Theodor Koch-Grunberg. The film abruptly shifts back in time, to 1909 as the much younger medicine man (Nilbio Torres) is startled by the sight of the ailing German (Jan Bijvoet) lying in a canoe steered by his guide/companion Manduca (Yauenku Migue). He too is in search of the plant, believing that it will restore his health. The shaman joins them as they paddle up the river, encountering different tribes and fighting the elements. They stumble upon a disturbed priest protecting the school/orphanage he has started for the native boys. In the later time line the older shaman and the American discover how that incident inspired a strange cult.

These adventures unfold in a dream-like, leisurely pace in this epic journey directed and co-written by Ciro Guerra. He captures the region’s tranquil beauty and unexpected tragedy and horror. The subtle score that adds to the mystery is supplied by Nascuy Linares. But the film’s dazzling beauty is in its unusual look. We generally think of the Amazon jungle in shades of vibrant greens and yellows. Here cinematographer David Galleo has shot the film in shimmering, near silver black and white, giving the story an alien, unearthly quality, invoking the photos of explorers along with fine illustrations and woodcuts. This helps make the single brief color filled psychedelic sequence truly pop. It’s great, but it’s those shades of grey that truly mesmerize. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT is a lyrical ode to an exotic land, and a feast for the cinema senses.

The  film was a recent nominee for Best Foreign Language Feature at the Academy Awards.

4.5 Out of 5

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT opens in theatres everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

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Oscar News: 322 Invited To Join; The Academy Museum Receives Approval

Los Angeles City Council Approves Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Project.
©Renzo Piano Building Workshop/©Studio Pali Fekete architects/©A.M.P.A.S.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this week that the Los Angeles City Council, in a unanimous vote, approved plans for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Construction will begin this summer, and ceremonial groundbreaking festivities will occur this fall.

“I am thrilled that Los Angeles is gaining another architectural and cultural icon,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “My office of economic development has worked directly with the museum’s development team to ensure that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will create jobs, support tourism, and pay homage to the industry that helped define our identity as the creative capital of the world.”

“We are grateful to our incredible community of supporters who have helped make this museum a reality,” said Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s CEO. “Building this museum has been an Academy goal for many years and we wouldn’t be here today without our neighbors on Museum Row, our Board of Governors, our current and past Academy Presidents, members, and of course, our generous donors.”

“I couldn’t think of a better home for the Academy Museum than Museum Row. The museum will be an iconic addition to our city and will inspire generations to come,” said Councilmember Tom LaBonge, during the final days of his 14 years representing Council District 4, which includes the Academy Museum site on the Miracle Mile.

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the Academy Museum will restore and revitalize the historic Wilshire May Company building at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. The Academy Museum will feature six floors of exhibition spaces, a movie theater, education studios, special event spaces, conservation areas, and a café and store. A new spherical addition will connect to the May Company building with glass bridges and will feature a state-of-the-art 1,000-seat theater and a rooftop terrace.

“Renzo’s design embodies the museum’s mission: Just as it links the past and present by connecting the May Company building with the new sphere, our exhibitions and programs will explore the history and future of cinema,” said Kerry Brougher, the Academy Museum’s director. “Our museum will, for the first time, open up the western edge of the campus to the surrounding community, inviting our neighbors onto an open public piazza. Renzo’s sensitivity to location and urbanism will transform this site and make it a gathering place in Los Angeles.”

The main lobby level of the museum will feature public areas including a free introductory gallery. The lobby will connect to the outdoor public piazza and a new pedestrian walkway. The museum also will have a main entrance on Wilshire Boulevard, facilitating easy access for pedestrians and mass transit riders.

“The museum will be the year-round public face of the Academy,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “We will draw on the immense talents of our members to tell the story of motion pictures from a global perspective, for a global audience.”

The Academy Museum’s architectural team is composed of Renzo Piano Building Workshop, design architect, in collaboration with Gensler as executive architect. Morley Builders and Taslimi Construction Company are the general contractors, and the building developer is Paratus Group. The museum is scheduled to open in late 2017.

Los Angeles City Council Approves Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Project.

The Academy Museum will feature a core historical exhibition and rotating temporary exhibitions, complemented by special projects, publications, digital initiatives and a slate of public programs that will include screenings, premieres, panel discussions, gallery talks and K–12 education initiatives. The Museum’s exhibitions and programs will convey the magic of cinema and offer a glimpse behind the screen, illuminating the creative, collaborative process of filmmaking.

The Academy launched the Museum’s $300 million capital campaign in 2012, chaired by Bob Iger and co-chaired by Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. The Academy has already secured more than $250 million in pledges from more than 1,300 individual donors globally.

80th Academy Awards NYC Meet the Oscars Opening

The Academy also announced that it has extended invitations to join the organization to 322 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2015.

“It’s gratifying to acknowledge the extraordinary range of talent in our industry,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “This year, our branches have recognized a more diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before, and we look forward to adding their creativity, ideas and experience to our organization.”
The 2015 invitees are:

Actors
Elizabeth Banks – “Love & Mercy,” “The Hunger Games”
Choi Min-sik– “Lucy,” “Oldboy”
Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Imitation Game,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Martin Freeman – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Hot Fuzz”
Heather Graham – “The Hangover,” “Boogie Nights”
Tom Hardy – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Inception”
Kevin Hart – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Ride Along”
Felicity Jones – “The Theory of Everything,” “Like Crazy”
Stephen Lang – “Avatar,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats”
Jodi Long – “A Picture of You,” “Beginners”
John Carroll Lynch – “Shutter Island,” “Zodiac”
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – “Beyond the Lights,” “Belle”
Denis O’Hare – “Milk,” “Michael Clayton”
Michael O’Neill – “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Transformers”
David Oyelowo – “Selma,” “A Most Violent Year”
Dev Patel – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Slumdog Millionaire”
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl,” “Pride & Prejudice”
Chris Pine – “Into the Woods,” “Star Trek”
Daniel Radcliffe – “Kill Your Darlings,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything,” “Les Misérables”
Jason Segel – “The Five-Year Engagement,” “The Muppets”
J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash,” “Juno”
Sonny Skyhawk – “Geronimo: An American Legend,” “Young Guns II”
Song Kang-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “The Host”
Emma Stone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Help”

Casting Directors
Lucy Bevan – “Cinderella,” “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
Victoria Burrows – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” “King Kong”
Aisha Coley – “Selma,” “Beyond the Lights”
Patricia DiCerto – “Blue Jasmine,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Mary Hidalgo – “The Lego Movie,” “The Incredibles”
Roger Mussenden – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Get Smart”
Lucie Robitaille – “Incendies,” “The Barbarian Invasions”
Luis San Narciso – “The Skin I Live In,” “The Sea Inside”
April Webster – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek”
Tricia Wood – “Woman in Gold,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”

Cinematographers
Christopher Blauvelt – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “The Bling Ring”
Adriano Goldman – “August: Osage County,” “Jane Eyre”
Ben Kasulke – “Laggies,” “Safety Not Guaranteed”
Ryszard Lenczewski – “Ida,” “Margaret”
Jody Lee Lipes – “Ballet 422,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Sharone Meir – “Whiplash,” “Mean Creek”
Rachel Morrison – “Cake,” “Fruitvale Station”
Tristan Oliver – “ParaNorman,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Hoyte Van Hoytema – “Interstellar,” “Her”
Roman Vasyanov – “Fury,” “End of Watch”
Łukasz Żal – “Ida,” “Joanna”

Costume Designers
Kasia Walicka Maimone – “Foxcatcher,” “Moonrise Kingdom”
Francesca Livia Sartori – “Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy,” “When the Night”
Jany Temime – “Gravity,” “Skyfall”

Designers
Ramsey Avery – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Gae Buckley – “The Book of Eli,” “He’s Just Not That into You”
Keith Brian Burns – “The Best Man Holiday,” “2 Fast 2 Furious”
Lester W. Cohen – “Fading Gigolo,” “Cop Land”
Suzie Davies – “Mr. Turner,” “The Children”
John F. Fenner – “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley”
Darren Gilford – “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy”
Derek R. Hill – “Southpaw,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
Bryn Imagire – “Cars 2,” “Up”
Dina Lipton – “Baggage Claim,” “Love Hurts”
Tatiana Macdonald – “The Imitation Game,” “The Invisible Woman”
Dominic Masters – “Woman in Gold,” “Casino Royale”
Doug Meerdink – “Jurassic World,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”
Chris Spellman – “Paper Towns,” “This Is the End”
Patrick Tatopoulos – “300: Rise of an Empire,” “Total Recall”
Charlotte Watts – “Mr. Holmes,” “Mr. Turner”

Directors
Michael Binder – “Black or White,” “Reign over Me”
Bong Joon-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “Mother”
Niki Caro – “North Country,” “Whale Rider”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Simon Curtis – “Woman in Gold,” “My Week with Marilyn”
François Girard – “Silk,” “The Red Violin”
F. Gary Gray – “The Italian Job,” “Friday”
James Gunn – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Super”
Im Kwon-taek – “Chi-Hwa-Seon (Painted Fire),” “Chunhyang”
Stan Lathan – “Beat Street,” “Amazing Grace”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Justin Lin – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Better Luck Tomorrow”
François Ozon – “Young & Beautiful,” “Swimming Pool”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Kelly Reichardt – “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Wendy and Lucy”
Ira Sachs – “Love Is Strange,” “Keep the Lights On”
Lynn Shelton – “Laggies,” “Your Sister’s Sister”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Fernando Trueba – “Chico & Rita,” “Belle Epoque”
Morten Tyldum – “The Imitation Game,” “Headhunters”
Zaza Urushadze – “Tangerines,” “The Guardian”
Wayne Wang – “Anywhere but Here,” “The Joy Luck Club”
Edgar Wright – “The World’s End,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
Joe Wright – “Anna Karenina,” “Atonement”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”

Documentary
Richard Berge – “The Island President,” “The Rape of Europa”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “The Invisibles”
Emad Burnat – “5 Broken Cameras”
Guy Davidi – “5 Broken Cameras,” “Interrupted Streams”
Geralyn Dreyfous – “The Square,” “The Invisible War”
Lewis Erskine – “Free Angela: And All Political Prisoners,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple”
Shana Hagan – “Misconception,” “This Film Is Not Yet Rated”
Tony Hardmon – “Detropia,” “Semper Fi: Always Faithful”
Leonard Retel Helmrich – “Position among the Stars,” “Shape of the Moon”
Pirjo Honkasalo – “The 3 Rooms of Melancholia,” “Atman”
Judy Irving – “Pelican Dreams,” “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”
Robert Kenner – “Merchants of Doubt,” “Food, Inc.”
Marc Levin – “Mr. Untouchable,” “The Last Party”
Jesse Moss – “The Overnighters,” “Full Battle Rattle”
Pratibha Parmar – “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth,” “A Place of Rage”
Paula DuPre’ Pesmen – “Keep On Keepin’ On,” “The Cove”
Gordon Quinn – “Life Itself,” “Hoop Dreams”
Kim Roberts – “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “Lost Boys of Sudan”
Richard Rowley – “Dirty Wars,” “The Fourth World War”
João Moreira Salles – “Santiago,” “Entreatos (Intermissions)”
Ondi Timoner – “We Live in Public,” “Dig!”
Executives
Carolyn Blackwood
Robbie Brenner
Lia Buman
Steve Burke
David Fenkel
Mellody Hobson
Brian Keane
Steven Paul O’Dell
Jim Orr
Mark Rachesky
Ted Sarandos
Jeff Shell

Film Editors
Craig Alpert – “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Pineapple Express”
Mick Audsley – “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “Dirty Pretty Things”
Pablo Barbieri – “Wild Tales,” “La Antena (The Aerial)”
Nadia Ben Rachid – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Kristina Boden – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “Cake”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “Run Lola Run”
Julian Clarke – “Chappie,” “District 9”
Douglas Crise – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Babel”
Tom Cross – “Whiplash,” “Any Day Now”
Jinx Godfrey – “The Theory of Everything,” “Man on Wire”
Robert Grahamjones – “Brave,” “Ratatouille”
Masahiro Hirakubo – “Virunga,” “The Duchess”
Jarosław Kamiński – “Ida,” “Aftermath (Pokłosie)”
William Kerr – “Bridesmaids,” “I Love You, Man”
Nico Leunen – “Lost River,” “The Broken Circle Breakdown”
Mike McCusker – “Get On Up,” “3:10 to Yuma”
Tim Mertens – “Big Hero 6,” “Wreck-It Ralph”
Barney Pilling – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “An Education”
David Rennie – “22 Jump Street,” “Office Space”
Gary D. Roach – “American Sniper,” “Prisoners”
Michael L. Sale – “We’re the Millers,” “Bridesmaids”
Stephen Schaffer – “Cars 2,” “WALL-E”
Job ter Burg – “Borgman,” “Winter in Wartime”
Peter Teschner – “St. Vincent,” “Horrible Bosses”
Tara Timpone – “Friends with Kids,” “Bad Teacher”

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Frida S. Aradottir – “August: Osage County,” “A Serious Man”
Victoria Down – “Big Eyes,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Frances Hannon – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The King’s Speech”
Todd Kleitsch – “Run All Night,” “Black Swan”
Dennis Liddiard – “Foxcatcher,” “Jobs”
Jerry Popolis – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Noah”
Janine Rath-Thompson – “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Bridesmaids”
Johnny Villanueva – “The Gambler,” “The Fighter”
David White – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “La Vie en Rose”
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “An Education”

Members-at-Large
Andy Armstrong
Wayne Billheimer
Kevin Brownlow
Simon Crane
Debbie Denise
Jeff Habberstad
Andy Hendrickson
Elissa M. Rashkin Loparco
Guido Quaroni
Nicole Scalise
Steven J. Scott
Leon D. Silverman
Gregg Smrz
Lynda Ellenshaw Thompson
Steve Venezia

Music
Tyler Bates – “John Wick,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Alex Gibson – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight”
Jonny Greenwood – “Inherent Vice,” “The Master”
Dave Grusin – “Skating to New York,” “The Firm”
Alex Heffes – “Love and Honor,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Lisa Jaime – “Annie,” “Rock of Ages”
Jóhann Jóhannsson – “The Theory of Everything,” “Prisoners”
Laura Karpman – “States of Grace,” “Black Nativity”
Christopher Lennertz – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Horrible Bosses”
Lonnie Lynn – “Selma,” “Freedom Writers”
Chris McGeary – “Jersey Boys,” “RoboCop”
Sergio Mendes – “Rio 2,” “Rio”
Daniel Pinder – “Big Hero 6,” “Captain Phillips”
Trent Reznor – “Gone Girl,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Atticus Ross – “Love & Mercy,” “The Social Network”
John Stephens – “Selma,” “Django Unchained”
Marc Streitenfeld – “Poltergeist,” “Prometheus”
Erica Weis – “Spy,” “The Heat”
Gary Yershon – “Mr. Turner,” “Another Year”

Producers
Caroline Baron – “Capote,” “Monsoon Wedding”
Effie T. Brown – “Dear White People,” “Real Women Have Curves”
Terence Chang – “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” “Face/Off”
Wyck Godfrey – “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Twilight”
Jeremy Kleiner – “Selma,” “12 Years a Slave”
Pamela Koffler – “Still Alice,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Gina Kwon – “Camp X-Ray,” “Me and You and Everyone We Know”
Dan Lin – “The Lego Movie,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Eric Newman – “RoboCop,” “Children of Men”
Bruna Papandrea – “Wild,” “All Good Things”
Lydia Dean Pilcher – “Cutie and the Boxer,” “The Darjeeling Limited”
Rebecca Yeldham – “On the Road,” “The Kite Runner”

Public Relations
Jennifer Allen
Asad Ayaz
Dawn Baillie
Andrew Bernstein
Liz Biber
Mara Buxbaum
Lee Ginsberg
R. Jeff Hill
Michelle Hooper
Chris Libby
Susan Norget
Lewis Oberlander
Gordon Paddison
Elias Plishner
David Pollick
Weiman Seid
LeeAnne Stables
Ryan Stankevich
Bonnie Voland

Short Films and Feature Animation
Alan Barillaro – “Brave,” “WALL-E”
Kristine Belson – “The Croods,” “How to Train Your Dragon”
Darlie Brewster – “Curious George,” “The Prince of Egypt”
Roy Conli – “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled”
Ronnie Del Carmen – “Up,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”
Paul A. Felix – “Big Hero 6,” “Lilo & Stitch”
Michael Fukushima – “Me and My Moulton,” “Dimanche/Sunday”
Don Hall – “Big Hero 6,” “Winnie the Pooh”
Talkhon Hamzavi – “Parvaneh,” “Taub”
Hu Wei – “Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak),” “Le Propriétaire”
Jin Kim – “Big Hero 6,” “Bolt”
Mat Kirkby – “The Phone Call,” “Hard to Swallow”
David Kneupper – “Alex and Sylvia,” “The Civil War in 4 Minutes”
Michael Lennox – “Boogaloo and Graham,” “The Back of Beyond”
Fabio Lignini – “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Puss in Boots”
James Lucas – “The Phone Call”
Patrick Osborne – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jerome Ranft – “Toy Story 3,” “Ratatouille”
Jim Reardon – “Wreck-It Ralph,” “WALL-E”
Kristina Reed – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jason Reisig – “Home,” “Shrek Forever After”
Nicolas Schmerkin – “Habana,” “Logorama”
Anthony Stacchi – “The Boxtrolls,” “Open Season”
Isao Takahata – “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” “Grave of the Fireflies”
Michael Thurmeier – “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “No Time for Nuts”
Marlon West – “Frozen,” “The Princess and the Frog”

Sound
Ray Beckett – “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker”
Odin Benitez – “Frozen,” “Silver Linings Playbook”
Ron Bochar – “Mortdecai,” “Moneyball”
Jason Canovas – “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “World War Z”
Thomas Curley – “Whiplash,” “The Spectacular Now”
Michael Dressel – “American Sniper,” “Interstellar”
Mary H. Ellis – “Vacation,” “Prisoners”
Stephanie Flack – “Jupiter Ascending,” “Ender’s Game”
Martín Hernández – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dean Humphreys – “Taken 3,” “The Pianist”
William Johnston – Vice President of Engineering, Formosa Group
Shawn Jones – “Iron Man 3,” “Drive”
Daniel Laurie – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
David Lee – “Unbroken,” “The Matrix”
Craig Mann – “Dope,” “Whiplash”
Kyrsten Mate – “Tomorrowland,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Shannon J. Mills – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
Bryan K. Pennington – “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Promised Land”
Juan P. Peralta – “Tomorrowland,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
John Ross – “Danny Collins,” “American Hustle”
Peter Staubli – “San Andreas,” “Skyfall”
Mark Taylor – “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Captain Phillips”
Addison Teague – “Big Hero 6,” “The Amazing Spider-Man”
Jon Title – “San Andreas,” “The Divergent Series: Insurgent”
Thomas Varga – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Immigrant”
Ben Wilkins – “Whiplash,” “Star Trek”

Visual Effects
Nicolas Aithadi – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “X-Men: First Class”
Daniel Barrett – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Stephane Ceretti – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Cloud Atlas”
Paul Corbould – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Tim Crosbie – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine”
Dan DeLeeuw – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Iron Man 3”
Sean Faden – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Let Me In”
Joe Farrell – “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Hereafter”
Scott R. Fisher – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight Rises”
Chris Harvey – “Chappie,” “Fast & Furious 6”
Alex Jaeger – “Tomorrowland,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Matt Kutcher – “Focus,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Andrew Lockley – “Interstellar,” “Inception”
Gray Marshall – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Carl Miller – “Jurassic World,” “Elysium”
David Nakabayashi – “Tomorrowland,” “Avatar”
Rocco Passionino – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Spider-Man 2”
Lou Pecora – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
Cary Phillips – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Ellen Poon – “Frozen,” “Inception”
Edwin Rivera – “22 Jump Street,” “Moneyball”
Cameron Waldbauer – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Elysium”
Erik Winquist – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar”

Writers
Armando Bo – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Álex de la Iglesia – “El Crimen Perfecto,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rick Famuyiwa – “Dope,” “The Wood”
Maya Forbes – “Infinitely Polar Bear,” “Monsters vs Aliens”
E. Max Frye – “Foxcatcher,” “Something Wild”
Nicolás Giacobone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dan Gilroy – “Nightcrawler,” “The Bourne Legacy”
Jorge Guerricaechevarría – “Cell 211,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rita Hsiao – “Toy Story 2,” “Mulan”
Simon Kinberg – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Christopher Markus – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Stephen McFeely – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Graham Moore – “The Imitation Game”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Kessen Tall – “Timbuktu”
Tyger Williams – “The Perfect Guy,” “Menace II Society”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”

Associates
Victoria Belfrage
Josh Braun
Wayne Fitterman
Sharon Jackson
Patricia Keighley
Cliff Roberts
Elyse Scherz
James Toth
Bart Walker

Seven individuals (noted above by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.

Each year, each Academy member may sponsor one candidate for membership within their branch. New member application reviews take place in the spring. Applications for the coming year must be received by March 24, 2016.

New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in September.

THE SALT OF THE EARTH – The Review

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Last year’s bumper crop of engrossing art documentary feature films included one set in the world of photography called FINDING VIVIAN MAIER which went on to earn an Oscar nomination. It showcased the Chicago-area pictures taken by a nanny/ caregiver in the 1950’s to the 70’s which were discovered recently by a modern-day photog. In a way, the film was a mystery movie, investigating the largely unknown life of this hidden artist, In the new film THE SALT OF THE EARTH (also an Oscar nominee), there’s no such mystery, as its main subject has been known and celebrated for the past 40 years: Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Salgado. Plus, he never limited himself to his native land as he spans the globe in search of the drama of life.

As the film begins, we’re bombarded by remarkable black and white images of a gold mining dig down in South America. The dirt encrusted fortune seekers swarm the mountain side, often resembling a horde of ants enveloping a crumb. And Salgado is right in the thick of it, even as tempers flare and greed possess them all

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And then it’s back to the present day as Salgado braves the harsh elements in order to document a somewhat primitive hidden far away from civilization. He offers the reluctant natives a chance to peer through the camera lens, to their wonder. Salgado himself has been witness to countless wonders over his seventy-plus years. We’re taken to his childhood home, a vast plantation farm land in Brazil and meet his parents, who try to understand their son’s great passions. At one time his main passion was economics and traveled to Paris for an education. But once he picked up a camera, his life changed. He met wife and art-partner Lelia and together they chronicled the student protests in Europe during the late sixties/ early seventies. Then, as the two began a family, they focused on certain subjects worthy , they believed, of world-wide attention. We see through his work the beauty of wildlife, in the frozen tundra, and the dusty trails of Africa. In one sequence we witness Salgado trying to remain calm and quiet as some of said wildlife starts to sniff about his tiny shelter/ photo hut (he almost begs the beasts to get closer to the small windows in order to snap a better pic).

But it’s all not just pretty pictures collected in a swanky coffee table-type book. Salgoda is in the thick of the devastating civil wars in the Sudan. And there’s the horrors of draught and starvation in Ethiopia, as we see countless images of emaciated children. Salgado relates with sadness, the story of a father bringing the corpse of his son to a burial ground, the father casually talking to a neighbor as though they were putting out the morning trash in time for pick-up. For one sequence we see the results of his travels to the Iraq, just after the first Gulf War, when oil refineries were set ablaze. These images of the fire fighters (intercut with news footage) are astounding. We can almost feel the unbearable heat as the sludge-covered warriors face an almost unstoppable foe.

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Internationaly famous film maker Wim Wenders (who also co-directed this film) joined Salgado on his excursions several years ago and becomes a narrator and interview subject. Wife Leila also contributes her musings on their long marriage. And we see her helping to co-ordinate his new projects and travels. One of their projects, son Juliano (the film’s other director), tells stories of his father’s long absences (almost a ghost parent) growing up, but all bitterness evaporates as the two men become partners and close confidants. Finally the film comes full circle in its last moments as Salgado returns to the family homestead. After so many images of despair, the story concludes on an upbeat, hopeful note as he helps bring new life to the barren earth. Life will grow and thrive once again. All this is accentuated by the soothing, subtle music score by Laurent Petitgrand. THE SALT OF THE EARTH tells of an amazing life through hundred of unforgettable images. You’ll have much to appreciate as you savor the next collection from this remarkable artist.

4 Out of 5

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Interview – WAMG Talks to FINDING VIVIAN MAIER Directors Charlie Siskel and John Maloof

Film makers Charlie Siskel (left) and John Maloof (right)
Film makers Charlie Siskel (left) and John Maloof (right)

2014 turned out to be an exceptional year for feature-length documentaries about artists. A film from 2013, TIM’S VERMEER, opened wide that January and was soon followed by JODOROWSKY’S DUNE, FOR NO GOOD REASON, LIFE, ITSELF, and GLEN CAMPBELL: I’LL BE ME. However, the only art doc to be included in the five nominees for BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM at the 87th Academy Awards is the acclaimed FINDING VIVIAN MAIER. You can read my review here. Recently WAMG was able to speak to the two men behind the film, producer/writer/directors John Maloof (who also narrates the film) and Charlie Siskel.

WAMG: I suppose we should start with you John, since this journey began back in 2007 with your purchase of a box of Maier’s negatives at an auction. You mention in the film that you’d hoped to find some research materials for a historical project. Had you done historical projects for film or multimedia (DVD) before?

John Maloof: Not for video type projects. I had recently purchased a 100 year-old house in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago and was collecting materials for a history book about the area surrounding the property.

WAMG: You said in the film that you were familiar with going to auctions and estate sales and such in your youth. Did your family introduce you to that?

JM: Well, I did partner with my family in attending such sales when I was growing, even hitting a occassional flea market a few years ago and setting up a table.

WAMG: So, the building you bought, is that on the North side, the West side (of Chicago)?

JM: Portage Park is a neighborhood on the Northwest side.

WAMG: Oh yes, I’ve got some friends that attend that theatre quite a bit. I had confused it with Rogers Park which factors late in the film. When you started accumulating the work of Vivian Maier you mentioned about submitting or trying to get some museums or cultural facilities interested, including MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art). I’m wondering, with the release of the documentary, if they have been in contact with you after several of the special gallery set-ups and such?

JM: Well, the main reason I contacted them originally was just to get some help in organizing and cataloging the amount of materials. The hundreds of negatives became too time consuming to scan on my own. Mainly I needed help in the scanning process.

Charlie Siskel: I should mention that we did having a screening of the film at MOMA and they helped in digitizing and listening to the Maier audio recordings and their cataloging.

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WAMG: Well, It’s certainly a compliment to them that they realized the worth of this artist. I was wondering, John, about how you went about accumulating these pieces that had already been sold off to other parties. Must’ve been like having Christmas several times a year, discovering these new treasures, and even expanding the feature with audio cassettes and film footage. Must have been a startling discovery.

JM: Happily, I was able to acquire the other Maier artifacts without much difficulty at reasonable expensive which helped me in putting some of the pieces on display via the internet and working toward the goal of a public display.

WAMG: I guess then we can jump ahead to the big show at the Cultural Center, It sounded like you had an incredible turn-out for that, I think that this is where you, Charlie, became aware of the work and got involved, is that true?

CS: I had seen the story about these incredible photos in a story I caught one day watching PBS. Of course, I spent a good part of my youth in Chicago. Since much of my family was still there, this report sparked an ongoing interest I’ve had  about people with double lives, specifically as it applies to undiscovered artists. It seemed that John’s story could be the basis for a documentary that explored these themes.

WAMG: Yes, It’s a pretty incredible seven-year journey, although I guess it could be eight years now, wouldn’t it John? You said in the documentary you found the first photos in 2007, so it’s quite a trip from there to the red carpet.

JM: We were filming this right through 2009.

WAMG: That would be right after Vivian’s passing, I believe. I had seen (actor/comedian) Jeff Garlin’s name in the credits (as executive producer). Charlie, was he instrumental in inspiring you with the documentary process? Did he help open some doors for you?

CS: Yes, he too was fascinated by her photos. We were stunned by the wonderful images that appeared in our email inboxes, which soon became hundreds of photos. Once we became aware of all the material, the receipts, notes, audio cassettes, and especially the 16mm and 8mm footage we realized that these incredible images told a very compelling story of this woman.

WAMG: I had dabbled in 8mm films in high school and was impressed with the color quality you were able to get, there wasn’t a noticeable amount of damage, I guess they were stored at the correct temperature? Was there any footage that didn’t make the transition, there was nothing that become too brittle to use?

JM: It was all Kodachrome film, so the color saturation was very bright and vivid.

WAMG: I’m assuming the 16mm was black and white?

JM: What we used in the feature was primarily the 8mm then Super 8mm home movie footage of the families.

WAMG: Speaking of the families, it was quite an unexpected treat to see one of the icons of daytime TV involved in this. I guess that cues into tracking down the families. Would you say that about 80 or 90% of the folks you contacted at least agreed to talk to you or be in the film?

CS: Pretty much all the families came on board. Several of the children that were cared for by Vivian are in their 50’s now, but still had strong recollections of their time with her and shared their memories. A couple of her charges paid her expenses for the last years of her life. They didn’t wish to be interviewed or identified, so we respected their wishes. They all recall that camera hanging from her neck.

WAMG: One of the things I came away with from the film was it was startling to them that a person that was sort of in the service industry would have such a rich, creative spirit, and that’s one of the great joys of the film is to see this work and realize this person was able to get out and do this and share with us specifically a Chicago that doesn’t exist anymore. It’s agreat exploration of that and a mystery film, so it works on that level also.

CS: We really wanted to show that artists can come from every walk of life. That everyone could have a secret passion. Vivian, as you said, was in the service industry. Kafka was an accountant. I mean, where are the artists in society? Is it only those in the upper classes, who can attend colleges and training centers? Maybe that person sitting next to you on the bus or train has that artistic spirit.

JM: Vivian didn’t want to be cooped up in an office or a factory. She decided to make her living as a nanny or caregiver in order to be out and about in the world. She enjoyed the freedom of it. Her passion wasn’t limited by her humble beginnings, Vivian was really a romantic.

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WAMG: One of the more amusing segments, I enjoyed the two linguistics experts who believed that she was doing a fake French accent, I wondered if they were surprised by the film to learn of her family’s roots in France?

JM: Vivian was born in New York City, though. On her first visit to France in the 1930’s, she didn’t speak the language at all. But when she returned in the 1940’s, she spoke French fluently.

WAMG: I’d imagine she heard a lot of French growing up, in the household?

CS: It’s interesting that we did have a screening at the Portage theatre for many of those people featured. When I went out to the lobby after the film’s ending I spotted those two experts still arguing about Vivian’s accent.

WAMG: I was looking over your resume, Charlie, I saw that you were mostly on the production side of TV and films, has this film inspired you to direct more feature film projects?

CS: Directing on this project blurred the line between the writing and producing work I’ve done on different projects. I had the luxury of learning from the guerrilla style film making working with Michael Moore. The storytelling really came together by having someone to bounce ideas off of. The interviews might alter the story of Vivian, so luckily I had John, the detective of the story, making sure that we were on the right track.

JM: We were able to sift through the different stories and test each other a bit.

WAMG: It occurred to me that some documentaries become the basis for dramatic films like GREY GARDENS, have there been any inquiries or have you explored the idea of turning this into a stage play or a dramatic feature film?

CS: There’s been some talk with Killer Films, but nothing’s has been set.

WAMG: I’ll wrap things up by asking about your Oscar nomination morning story. Were you waiting up to hear the news live? Were you awakened by a phone call?

JM: Charlie called me! (laughs)

CS: (laughs) Yeah, I had the liveblast set, but I woke up beforehand. I threw on my bathrobe, grabbed a cup, and logged in to the live streaming broadcast just in time to hear the announcement.

WAMG: What a great way to start the day! Will you be showing the film out there?  I know there’s a documentary day at the Oscars.

CS: It’s going to be a whirlwind couple of days out there. We will be showing the film on “Doc Day”.

JM: The nomination and ceremony is wonderful, but the best thing to come out of this is the attention focused open Vivian Maier’s remarkable work. So many people will be aware of her because of the Oscars.

WAMG: It’s a terrific film. As the young folks say, “It’s got all the feels.”, it’s funny at times, it’s tragic. it’s involving, as I said, a great detective story, and I’d don’t know what the proper things is to say. With the theatre you’re supposed to say, “Break a leg”, I don’t know if I should wish you good luck, but I hope all goes well at the big show.

CS & JM: Thank you

WAMG: And thanks you for a great film. It’s always wonderful to tell folks about a film that’s well worth their time.

FINDING VIVIAN MAIER is available on home video, streaming services, and via premium cable TV channels

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The Academy Celebrates 20th Anniversary THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION With Frank Darabont, Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins

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A 20th anniversary screening of “The Shawshank Redemption”; restorations of Mary Pickford’s “Little Annie Rooney” and Charlie Chaplin’s “The Bank”; a screening series and panel discussion complementing the landmark Hollywood Costume exhibition; and six diverse films from director Edgar G. Ulmer are all part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ November programs. Ticket holders for Hollywood Costume will receive free same-day admission to Hollywood Costume-related public programs.

“THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION”
With special guests Frank Darabont, Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins

The Academy will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1994 Best Picture nominee “The Shawshank Redemption” onNovember 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The evening will feature an onstage discussion with writer-director Frank Darabont, who received an Oscar nomination for his adapted screenplay, Best Actor nominee Morgan Freeman, and star Tim Robbins.

Click here for more information

DEFINING CHARACTER: THE ART OF THE COSTUME DESIGNER

Hollywood Costume curator and Oscar nominee Deborah Nadoolman Landis will moderate a discussion on November 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bing Theater with two of today’s top costume designers: Judianna Makovsky, who earned Oscar nominations for “Pleasantville,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Seabiscuit,” and Michael Wilkinson, whose work includes “300,” “Man of Steel” and the Oscar-nominated “American Hustle.”
Hollywood Costume ticket holders will receive free same-day admission to this event.

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THE PERFECT MATCH: HOLLYWOOD COSTUME COLLABORATIONS

This screening series explores the collaborative partnerships between costume designers and directors. Mark Bridges will discuss his work with director Paul Thomas Anderson and Jeffrey Kurland will share stories of his experience with Woody Allen as they introduce each evening’s films at the Bing Theater. Moderated by Deborah Nadoolman Landis.
Hollywood Costume ticket holders will receive free same-day admission to these events.

Click here for screening schedule

THE MARY PICKFORD CELEBRATION OF SILENT FILM
THE COSTUME OF SILENT DRAMA: MARY PICKFORD AND LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY

The Academy and the Mary Pickford Foundation will continue their annual celebration of silent film with the restoration world premiere of “Little Annie Rooney” (1925) on November 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bing Theater. Film historian and author Jeffrey Vance and Academy Film Archive Director Michael Pogorzelski will discuss the restoration of the silent classic. The screening is presented in conjunction with Hollywood Costume, which includes the costume that Mary Pickford wore in the title role.
Those who purchase tickets to “Little Annie Rooney” may view the exhibition free of charge immediately before the screening, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Click here for more information

THE COSTUME OF SILENT COMEDY: CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND THE TRAMP RESTORED

Fascinating stories, behind-the-scenes footage, never-before-exhibited documents and the earliest filmed images of Charlie Chaplin’s “Little Tramp” character will all be part of a unique presentation hosted by film historian and preservationist Serge Bromberg on November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bing Theater. The evening includes screenings of two Chaplin shorts: “A Night in the Show”(1915) from a new print, and “The Bank”(1915), from a new restoration making its theatrical world premiere. Chaplin’s ensemble from “The Tramp” is currently on view in Hollywood Costume.
Hollywood Costume ticket holders will receive free same-day admission to this event.

Click here for more information

AFTER EXPRESSIONISM: THE VERSATILE EDGAR G. ULMER
In conjunction with the exhibition Haunted Screens: German Cinema in the 1920s, presented by LACMA in association with the Academy, the Academy will present in November six films directed or co-directed by production designer-turned-director Edgar G. Ulmer: “Detour,” “The Strange Woman,” “People on Sunday,” “The Light Ahead,” “The Black Cat” and “Ruthless.”

Click here for screening schedule

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Hollywood Costume is organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Swarovski is the presenting sponsor of Hollywood Costume. The crystal house has provided the all-important sparkle to Hollywood’s wardrobes since the 1930s, when Swarovski crystals began to light up the silver screen in classic films likeGone with the Wind, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In recent years, Swarovski has worked closely with talents in costume and set design on blockbusters including Black Swan, Skyfall and The Great Gatsby, and its crystals have been the key creative ingredient in the dazzling set design for the Academy Awards since 2007.

Additional support is provided by Pirelli and the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

In-kind support provided by Barco, ARRI, JBL and Samsung.

Presented by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Academy, Hollywood Costume is on view October 2, 2014, through March 2, 2015, in the historic Wilshire May Company building at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles.