Academy Leadership Outlines a More Global Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making international growth a central part of its future, with leadership pointing to a larger overseas membership, new qualification routes for films and the Oscars’ coming move to YouTube. CEO Bill Kramer outlined the strategy during the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Membership expands beyond the United States

Kramer said roughly 25 percent of Academy members now live outside the United States, compared with about 5 percent a decade ago. The organization currently has around 70 members in Japan and is seeking filmmakers in countries that remain underrepresented in its branches.

Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor said that broader recruitment does not mean lowering professional standards. In addition to automatic consideration for Oscar nominees and candidates sponsored by existing members, branch-level committees identify accomplished filmmakers around the world who might otherwise remain outside the organization’s traditional networks.

The shift is already visible in the awards conversation. Kramer noted that every category at the most recent ceremony included international representation. He described Parasite winning best picture in 2020 as an important turning point in the Academy’s understanding of how global cinema can compete across the full ballot, not only in the international feature category.

New paths to the Oscars

The Academy has also introduced a festival-based route for eligible non-English-language films. Winners of designated awards at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Busan, Sundance and Toronto can enter consideration without relying exclusively on a country’s official submission. Kramer said discussions are beginning about expanding the list, while stopping short of promising that Tokyo will be added.

Another major change arrives in 2029, when YouTube is set to carry the Oscars globally. Academy leaders said the free stream is intended to reach about 2.5 billion people in more than 30 languages, creating a single worldwide viewing experience after ABC’s current U.S. agreement ends.

Taken together, the initiatives show the Academy trying to align its membership, eligibility rules and broadcast reach with an industry that no longer operates through Hollywood alone. The challenge will be turning broader access into sustained recognition for filmmakers from regions that have historically had limited influence inside the organization.