Oscar Winners Billie Eilish & Finneas Invited to Join Motion Picture Academy

Paul Grein
·3 min read
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Billie Eilish and Finneas, who won an Oscar in March for co-writing “No Time to Die” from the James Bond film of the same name, were invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Tuesday (June 28). They were among 12 people invited to join the music branch and among 397 people invited to join the Academy across all branches.

An invitation to join the Academy is generally a perk of winning an Oscar. Ariana DeBose, who won best supporting actress for West Side Story, and Troy Kotsur, who won best supporting actor for CODA, were invited to join the actors branch.

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The Academy notes in a statement that “membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority.  The 2022 class is 44% women, 37% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 50% are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States.  There are 71 Oscar nominees, including 15 winners, among the invitees.”

Thirteen branches extended more invitations than the music branch extended this year. Only three extended fewer. Here’s a breakdown of branches, ranked by the number of invitations to membership they extended this year: short films and feature animation (41), documentary (38), sound (32), actors (30), producers (30), visual effects (28), executives (26), marketing and public relations (25), members at large (25), writers (22), directors (21), production design (16), makeup artists and hairstylists (13), film editors (12), music (12), costume designers (11), cinematographers (10) and casting directors (9).

Four individuals, all directors, have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. They are Pawo Choyning Dorji (Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy), Sian Harries Heder (CODA, Tallulah) and Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Flee, Searching for Bill). Rasmussen was invited by both the directors and documentary branches; the other three were invited by both the directors and writers branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.

Other notables who were invited to join are Jamie Dornan, Kodi Smith-McPhee and Sheryl Lee Ralph (acting), and film critic Leonard Maltin and music supervisor Julia Michels (members at large).

The Academy noted in a statement that those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to its membership in 2022. If someone didn’t receive an invitation, there’s no mechanism for them to apply on their own.

The Recording Academy extended invitations to its 2022 new member class Tuesday as well, but they are not revealing the names of those invited. They will reveal the demographic breakdown of those who accept membership, however.

Here are the 12 individuals who were invited to join the music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The film credits are supplied by the Academy.

  • Billie Eilish Baird O’Connell – No Time to Die

  • Amie Doherty – Spirit Untamed, The High Note

  • Lili Haydn – Strip Down, Rise Up, Broken Kingdom

  • Leo Heiblum – Maria Full of Grace, Frida

  • Natalie Holt – Fever Dream, Journey’s End

  • Nathan Johnson – Nightmare Alley, Knives Out

  • Jacobo Lieberman – Maria Full of Grace, Frida

  • Ariel Rose Marx – Shiva Baby, Rebel Hearts

  • Hesham Nazih – The Guest, Born a King

  • Finneas O’Connell – No Time to Die

  • Dan Romer – Luca, Beasts of the Southern Wild

  • Nerida Tyson-Chew – H Is for Happiness, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

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