Academy Board of Governors Elects New Members Including Lou Diamond Phillips; Wendy Aylsworth to Represent New Production and Technology Branch
On the heels of the recent announcement about increased theatrical distribution requirements for Best Picture contenders in calendar year 2024, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed today the newly elected Board of Governors for the 2023-2024 year.
11 people became first-time AMPAS Board members, including actor Lou Diamond Phillips (actors branch) and technology executive and Television Academy Board member Wendy Aylsworth, who will represent the new Production and Technology Branch of the Academy.
Six incumbent members were re-elected to the board: Rob Bredow (visual effects), Ava DuVernay (directors), Linda Flowers (makeup artists and hairstylists), Lynette Howell Taylor (producers), Stephen Rivkin (film editors) and Debra Zane (casting directors). Cinematographer Ellen Kuras returns after a hiatus.
Several dozen returning members including Oscar winners Marlee Matlin (actors) and Ruth E. Carter (costumes) as well as three Governors-At-Large: DeVon Franklin, Rodrigo García and Janet Yang, all of whom were appointed by the President and elected by the board.
Termed-off governors from 2022-2023 include: Whoopi Goldberg, Mandy Walker, Isis Mussenden, Kate Amend, David Linde, Christina Kounelias, Charles Bernstein, Wynn Thomas, Jon Bloom, Teri Dorman and Larry Karaszewski. With the exceptions of Bernstein and Bloom, who are permanently termed-off, all others are eligible to run again after a two-year hiatus, per Academy bylaws.
17 of the 18 Academy branches are represented by three governors, who may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional terms for a lifetime maximum of 12 years. The newly created Production and Technology Branch has a single governor.
The new Board is now comprised of 53% women and 25% from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups.
Elected to the Board for the first time:
- Wendy Aylsworth, Production and Technology Branch
- David I. Dinerstein, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
- Richard Gibbs, Music Branch
- Jinko Gotoh, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
- Kalina Ivanov, Production Design Branch
- Simon Kilmurry, Documentary Branch
- Hannah Minghella, Executives Branch
- Daniel Orlandi, Costume Designers Branch
- Lou Diamond Phillips, Actors Branch
- Dana Stevens, Writers Branch
- Mark P. Stoeckinger, Sound Branch
Incumbent governors reelected to the Board:
- Rob Bredow, Visual Effects Branch
- Ava DuVernay, Directors Branch
- Linda Flowers, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
- Lynette Howell Taylor, Producers Branch
- Stephen Rivkin, Film Editors Branch
- Debra Zane, Casting Directors Branch
Returning to the Board after a hiatus:
- Ellen Kuras, Cinematographers Branch
Returning Governors:
- Marlee Matlin, Actors Branch
- Richard Hicks, Casting Directors Branch
- Dion Beebe, Cinematographers Branch
- Jason Reitman, Directors Branch
- Chris Hegedus, Documentary Branch
- Nancy Richardson, Film Editors Branch
- Megan Colligan, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
- Jason Blum, Producers Branch
- Missy Parker, Production Design Branch
- Marlon West, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
- Peter Devlin, Sound Branch
- Paul Debevec, Visual Effects Branch
- Ruth E. Carter, Costume Designers Branch
- Donna Gigliotti, Executives Branch
- Howard Berger, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
- Eric Roth, Writers Branch
- Pam Abdy, Executives Branch
- Bonnie Arnold, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
- Lesley Barber, Music Branch
- Susanne Bier, Directors Branch
- Gary C. Bourgeois, Sound Branch
- Brooke Breton, Visual Effects Branch
- Paul Cameron, Cinematographers Branch
- Eduardo Castro, Costume Designers Branch
- Bill Corso, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
- Tom Duffield, Production Design Branch
- Linda Flowers, Makeup and Hairstylists Branch
- DeVon Franklin, Governors-At-Large, nominated by the President and elected by the board
- Rodrigo García, Governors-At-Large, appointed by the President and elected by the board
- Laura C. Kim, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
- Stephen Rivkin, Film Editors Branch
- Howard A. Rodman, Writers Branch
- Terilyn A. Shropshire, Film Editors Branch
- Kim Taylor-Coleman, Casting Directors Branch
- Jennifer Todd, Producers Branch
- Jean Tsien, Documentary Branch
- Rita Wilson, Actors Branch
- Janet Yang, Governors-At-Large, nominated by the President and elected by the board
Outgoing Board Members:
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Mandy Walker
- Isis Mussenden
- Kate Amend
- David Linde
- Christina Kounelias
- Charles Bernstein
- Wynn Thomas
- Jon Bloom
- Teri Dorman
- Larry Karaszewski
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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