Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The notion of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) began with Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He said he wanted to create an organization that would mediate labor disputes without unions[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/02/secret-oscar-history It all started when the original Hollywood mogul wanted to build a beach house] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503075358/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/02/secret-oscar-history |date=May 3, 2020 }} David Thomson, Vanity Fair, February 21, 2014 and improve the film industry's image. In other words, the Academy was originally founded as a company union.{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Allen J. |title=On Hollywood: The Place, the Industry |date=2005 |publisher=Princeton University Press |author-link=Allen J. Scott |location=Princeton |isbn=9780691116839 |page=119 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EzCOBoy1o_MC&pg=PA119 |access-date=October 8, 2023}} He met with actor Conrad Nagel, director Fred Niblo, and the head of the Association of Motion Picture Producers, Fred Beetson to discuss these matters. The idea of this elite club having an annual banquet was discussed, but no mention of awards at that time. They also established that membership into the organization would only be open to people involved in one of the five branches of the industry: actors, directors, writers, technicians, and producers.Wiley, Mason, and Damien Bona. Inside Oscar. New York: Ballantine Books, 1986 pg. 2

After their brief meeting, Mayer gathered up a group of thirty-six people involved in the film industry and invited them to a formal banquet at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on January 11, 1927.Levy, Emanuel. And The Winner Is.... New York: Ungar Publishing, 1987 pg. 1 That evening Mayer presented to those guests what he called the International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Everyone in the room that evening became a founder of the Academy. Between that evening and when the official Articles of Incorporation for the organization were filed on May 4, 1927, the "International" was dropped from the name, becoming the "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences".Osborne, Robert. 60 Years of The Oscar. Abbeville Press, 1989. Page 8.{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/academy/history-organization/history.html |title=History of the Academy: How It Began |publisher=Oscars.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605133157/http://www.oscars.org/academy/history-organization/history.html |archive-date=June 5, 2011}}

Several organizational meetings were held prior to the first official meeting held on May 6, 1927. Their first organizational meeting was held on May 11 at the Biltmore Hotel. At that meeting Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was elected as the first president of the Academy, while Fred Niblo was the first vice-president, and their first roster, composed of 230 members, was printed. That night, the Academy also bestowed its first honorary membership, to Thomas Edison. Initially, the Academy was broken down into five main groups, or branches, although this number of branches has grown over the years. The original five were: Producers, Actors, Directors, Writers and Technicians.Osborne, Robert. 60 Years of The Oscar. Abbeville Press, 1989. Page 9.

The initial concerns of the group had to do with labor.Osborne, Robert. 60 Years of The Oscar. Abbeville Press, 1989. Page 10. However, as time went on, the organization moved "further away from involvement in labor-management arbitrations and negotiations."{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/academy/history-organization/history.html |title=History of the Academy |publisher=Oscar.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605133157/http://www.oscars.org/academy/history-organization/history.html |archive-date=June 5, 2011}} During the Great Depression, the Academy lost all credibility among studio employee members with respect to labor issues when it took the side of the major film studios in the latter's efforts to convince employees to agree to voluntary reductions in wages and salaries. The Academy thus evolved into its modern role as an honorary organization.

One of several committees formed in the Academy's initial days was for "Awards of Merit", but it was not until May 1928 that the committee began to have serious discussions about the structure of the awards and the presentation ceremony. By July 1928, the board of directors had approved a list of 12 awards to be presented.Osborne, Robert. 60 Years of The Oscar. Abbeville Press, 1989. Page 15. During July the voting system for the Awards was established, and the nomination and selection process began.Wiley, Mason, and Damien Bona. Inside Oscar. New York: Ballantine Books, 1986 pg. 3 This "award of merit for distinctive achievement" is what we know now as the Academy Awards.

The initial location of the organization was 6912 Hollywood Boulevard. In November 1927, the Academy moved to the Roosevelt Hotel at 7010 Hollywood Boulevard, which was also the month the Academy's library began compiling a complete collection of books and periodicals dealing with the industry from around the world. In May 1928, the Academy authorized the construction of a state of the art screening room, to be located in the Club lounge of the hotel. The screening room was not completed until April 1929.

With the publication of Academy Reports (No. 1): Incandescent Illumination in July 1928,{{cite journal |author1=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |author2=American Society of Cinematographers |author3=Association of Motion Picture Producers |author1-link=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |author2-link=American Society of Cinematographers |author3-link=Association of Motion Picture Producers |title=Incandescent Illumination |journal=Academy Reports |date=July 1928 |volume=1 |issue=1 |url=https://digitalcollections.oscars.org/digital/collection/p15759coll4/id/2644/ |access-date=May 21, 2021 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |location=Hollywood, CA |quote=Transactions, enquiries, demonstrations, tests, etc., on the subject of incandescent illumination as applied to motion picture production / conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in co-operation with American Society of Cinematographers and Association of Motion Picture Producers, during the months of January, February, March and April, 1928. |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521214928/https://digitalcollections.oscars.org/digital/collection/p15759coll4/id/2644/ |url-status=live }} the Academy began a long history of publishing books to assist its members.{{cite book |author1=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |editor1-last=Cowan |editor1-first=Lester |title=Recording Sound for Motion Pictures |date=1931 |location=New York |publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company |url=https://www.oscars.org/science-technology/projects/recording-sound-motion-pictures |language=en |quote=(free) A compilation of lectures on sound sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, held from September 17, 1929 through December 16, 1929. |access-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521215009/https://www.oscars.org/science-technology/projects/recording-sound-motion-pictures |url-status=live }}{{cite book |author1=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Research Council |title=Motion Picture Sound Engineering |date=1938 |location=New York |publisher=D. Van Nostrand Company, Incorporated |url=https://www.oscars.org/science-technology/sci-tech-projects/motion-picture-sound-engineering |quote=(free) A Series of Lectures Presented to the Classes Enrolled in the Courses in Sound Engineering Given by the Research Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hollywood, California, in the fall of 1936 and spring of 1937. |language=en |access-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521215011/https://www.oscars.org/science-technology/sci-tech-projects/motion-picture-sound-engineering |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Technical Publications |url=https://www.oscars.org/science-technology/technical-publications |website=Oscars.org |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=May 21, 2021 |language=en |date=2015-06-23 |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521214937/https://www.oscars.org/science-technology/technical-publications |url-status=live }} Research Council{{cite web |last1=Cieply |first1=Michael |title=If History Asserts Itself, Hollywood And Its Film Academy Will Rise To The Coronavirus Fight |url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/hollywood-coronavirus-fight-history-lesson-war-john-ford-academy-1202893178/ |website=Deadline |access-date=May 22, 2021 |date=March 30, 2020 |quote=The organ through which the Academy mobilized was its Research Council, a collection of production executives chaired by Darryl F. Zanuck. Its main contribution was to offer Washington instant access to the studios’ filmmaking apparatus. Zanuck explained in a note to the report: “Through the Research Council, the entire vast production facilities and creative talent of the American film industry has been made available to the War Department entirely on a non-profit basis.” There were to be no charges for overhead, equipment, stage space or other facilities. |archive-date=May 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522051319/https://deadline.com/2020/03/hollywood-coronavirus-fight-history-lesson-war-john-ford-academy-1202893178/ |url-status=live }} of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences trained Signal Corps officers, during World War II,{{cite web |title=Assignment schedule, advanced course in motion picture production for Signal Corps officers, United States Army |url=https://digitalcollections.oscars.org/digital/collection/p15759coll4/id/5855 |website=Academy History Archive |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=May 21, 2021 |date=1940 |quote=Syllabus for a 39-week course covering all aspects of filmmaking, including equipment operation and maintenance, laboratory work, story development, directing, sound recording and film editing; 9 pages. |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521214930/https://digitalcollections.oscars.org/digital/collection/p15759coll4/id/5855 |url-status=live }} who later won two Oscars, for Seeds of Destiny and Toward Independence.{{cite web |last1=Brackett |first1=Charmain Z. |title=Oscars at home in Signal Museum |url=https://www.army.mil/article/35503/oscars_at_home_in_signal_museum |website=army.mil |access-date=May 21, 2021 |language=en |date=March 8, 2010 |quote=Darryl Zanuck, who headed 20th Century Fox and received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Irving Thalberg Memorial Award, was a colonel in the Signal Corps during World War II. Also in the Signal Corps during World War II was Oscar winning director Frank Capra, and Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The efforts of these and others who served in Astoria, N.Y. with the 834th Signal Service Photographic Detachment at the Signal Corps Photographic Center produced military training films as well as Academy Award winning documentaries after the war, according to Signal Corps Museum director Robert Anzuoni. |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521214928/https://www.army.mil/article/35503/oscars_at_home_in_signal_museum |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Oscar Winners |url=http://www.armypictorialcenter.com/oscar_winners.htm |website=Army Pictorial Center |access-date=May 21, 2021 |date=June 10, 2019 |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521214929/http://www.armypictorialcenter.com/oscar_winners.htm |url-status=live }}

In 1929, Academy members, in a joint venture with the University of Southern California, created America's first film school to further the art and science of moving pictures. The school's founding faculty included Fairbanks (President of the Academy), D. W. Griffith, William C. deMille, Ernst Lubitsch, Irving Thalberg, and Darryl F. Zanuck.{{cite web |last=Staff |title=USC School of Cinematic Arts: History |url=http://cinema.usc.edu/about/history/ |publisher=cinema.usc.edu |access-date=February 9, 2014 |archive-date=October 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022135305/http://cinema.usc.edu/about/history/ |url-status=live }}

1930 saw another move, to the Hollywood Professional Building, in order to accommodate the enlarging staff, and by December of that year the library was acknowledged as "having one of the most complete collections of information on the motion picture industry anywhere in existence."Osborne, Robert. 60 Years of The Oscar. Abbeville Press, 1989. Page 12. They remained at that location until 1935 when further growth caused them to move once again. This time, the administrative offices moved to one location, to the Taft Building at the corner of Hollywood and Vine, while the library moved to 1455 North Gordon Street.

In 1934, the Academy began publication of the Screen Achievement Records Bulletin, which today is known as the Motion Picture Credits Database. This is a list of film credits up for an Academy Award, as well as other films released in Los Angeles County, using research materials from the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library.{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/research-preservation/resources-databases/mpc.html |title=Motion Picture Credits Database |publisher=Oscars.org |access-date=January 18, 2014 |archive-date=October 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001053352/https://www.oscars.org/research-preservation/resources-databases/mpc.html |url-status=dead}} Another publication of the 1930s was the first annual Academy Players Directory in 1937. The Directory was published by the Academy until 2006 when it was sold to a private concern. The Academy had been involved in the technical aspects of film making since its founding in 1927, and by 1938, the Science and Technology Council consisted of 36 technical committees addressing technical issues related to sound recording and reproduction, projection, lighting, film preservation, and cinematography.

In 1946, the Academy found it necessary to move to a new headquarters, and it acquired the Marquis Theatre at 9038 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, which it renamed the Academy Awards Theatre, utilizing the building for both offices and an entertainment venue. The renaming turned out to be fortuitous, as the 21st Academy Awards, held March 24, 1949, were moved there at the last minute.

The Academy acquired property at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills in 1972, and built its current headquarters building on the site; the new facilities opened in 1975.

In 2009, the inaugural Governors Awards were held, at which the Academy presents the Academy Honorary Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.

In 2016, the Academy became the target of criticism for its failure to recognize the achievements of minority professionals. For the second year in a row, all 20 nominees in the major acting categories were white. The president of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs,{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/about/board-of-governors |title=board of governors |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=February 1, 2016 |access-date=February 1, 2016 |archive-date=February 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201225403/http://oscars.org/about/board-of-governors |url-status=live }} the first African American and third woman to lead the Academy,{{cite web |url=http://www.goldderby.com/news/4617/cheryl-boone-isaacs-oscars-ampas-film-news-13579086.html |title=Cheryl Boone Isaacs elected first African-American head of Oscars |publisher=Goldderby.com |date=July 31, 2013 |access-date=August 2, 2013 |archive-date=August 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804084056/http://www.goldderby.com/news/4617/cheryl-boone-isaacs-oscars-ampas-film-news-13579086.html |url-status=live }} denied in 2015 that there was a problem. When asked if the Academy had difficulty with recognizing diversity, she replied "Not at all. Not at all."[http://www.ibtimes.com/academy-awards-president-cheryl-boone-isaacs-responds-after-oscars-so-white-snubs-1786682 Academy Awards President Cheryl Boone Isaacs Responds After 'Oscars So White' Snubs On Twitter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131021556/http://www.ibtimes.com/academy-awards-president-cheryl-boone-isaacs-responds-after-oscars-so-white-snubs-1786682 |date=January 31, 2016 }} Tyler McCarthy, international Business Times, January 17, 2015 When the nominations for acting were all white for a second year in a row Gil Robertson IV, president of the African American Film Critics Association called it "offensive."{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} The actors' branch is "overwhelmingly white" and the question is raised whether conscious or unconscious racial biases played a role.[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-academy-members-diversity-20160124-story.html Oscar nominations uproar raises the question: Did racial bias, conscious or not, come into play?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710234602/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-academy-members-diversity-20160124-story.html |date=July 10, 2020 }} The LA Times, January 23, 2016

Spike Lee, interviewed shortly after the all-white nominee list was published, pointed to Hollywood leadership as the root problem, "We may win an Oscar now and then, but an Oscar is not going to fundamentally change how Hollywood does business. I'm not talking about Hollywood stars. I'm talking about executives. We're not in the room."[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/movies/oscar-ballot-is-all-white-for-another-year.html Another Oscar Year, Another All-White Ballot] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228203158/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/movies/oscar-ballot-is-all-white-for-another-year.html |date=February 28, 2017 }} Cara B Buckley, The New York Times, January 15, 2016 Boone Isaacs also released a statement, in which she said "I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it's time for big changes."{{cite web |url=https://www.oscars.org/news/statement-academy-president-cheryl-boone-isaacs |title=STATEMENT FROM ACADEMY PRESIDENT CHERYL BOONE ISAACS |last1=Boone |first1=Cheryl |last2=Isaacs |date=January 18, 2016 |website=Oscars.org |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126152410/http://www.oscars.org/news/statement-academy-president-cheryl-boone-isaacs |url-status=live }} After Boone Isaac's statement, prominent African-Americans such as director Spike Lee, actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and activist Rev. Al Sharpton called for a boycott of the 2016 Oscars for failing to recognize minority achievements, the board voted to make "historic" changes to its membership.{{clarify|date=January 2016}} The Academy stated that by 2020 it would double its number of women and minority members.[https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/academy-promises-historic-changes-to-diversify-membership-20160123 Academy Promises 'Historic' Changes to Diversify Membership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226155628/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/academy-promises-historic-changes-to-diversify-membership-20160123 |date=February 26, 2016 }} Daniel Kreps, RollingStone, Jan 23, 2016 While the Academy has addressed a higher profile for African-Americans, it has yet to raise the profile of other people of color artists, in front of and behind the camera.

In 2018, the Academy invited a record 928 new members.{{Cite web |last=Kilday |first=Gregg |date=2018-06-25 |title=Academy Invites Record 928 New Members |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/new-academy-members-2018-revealed-1123069/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-12-09 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831165433/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/new-academy-members-2018-revealed-1123069/ |archive-date=August 31, 2021}}

Casting director David Rubin was elected President of the Academy in August, 2019.{{cite news |last=Oldham |first=Stuart |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/david-rubin-elected-president-of-the-film-academy-1203294914/ |title=David Rubin Elected President of the Motion Picture Academy |work=Variety |date=2019-08-06 |access-date=2019-08-07 |archive-date=August 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807064545/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/david-rubin-elected-president-of-the-film-academy-1203294914/ |url-status=live }}

In 2020, Parasite became the first non-English language film to win Best Picture.{{cite news |title='Parasite' Earns Best-Picture Oscar, First for a Movie Not in English |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/09/movies/parasite-movie-oscars-best-picture.html |access-date=April 23, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=February 9, 2020 |archive-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317072511/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/09/movies/parasite-movie-oscars-best-picture.html |url-status=live }} In June 2022, Bill Kramer was named the CEO of the Academy.{{Cite web |title=Oscars organization names Bill Kramer as new CEO |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/oscars-organization-names-bill-kramer-ceo-85244845 |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=ABC News |language=en |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608183409/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/oscars-organization-names-bill-kramer-ceo-85244845 |url-status=live }} Also in 2022, Janet Yang was elected as the first Asian American President of the Academy.{{Cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/film-academy-janet-yang-president_n_62ea2511e4b0da5ec0efb7b3 |title=Film Producer Janet Yang Elected First Asian American President Of The Academy |date=August 3, 2022 |website=HuffPost |access-date=August 3, 2022 |archive-date=August 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803194813/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/film-academy-janet-yang-president_n_62ea2511e4b0da5ec0efb7b3 |url-status=live }}

The Academy's numerous and diverse operations are housed in three facilities in the Los Angeles area: the headquarters building in Beverly Hills, which was constructed specifically for the Academy, and two Centers for Motion Picture Study – one in Beverly Hills, the other in Hollywood – which were existing structures restored and transformed to contain the Academy's Library, Film Archive and other departments and programs.

The Academy Headquarters Building in Beverly Hills once housed two galleries that were open free to the public. The Grand Lobby Gallery and the Fourth Floor Gallery offered changing exhibits related to films, film-making and film personalities. These galleries were closed in preparation for the construction of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened in 2021.

The building includes the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, which seats 1,012, and was designed to present films at maximum technical accuracy, with state-of-the-art projection equipment and sound system. The theater is busy year-round with the Academy's public programming, members-only screenings, movie premieres and other special activities (including the live television broadcast of the Academy Awards nominations announcement every January). The building once housed the Academy Little Theater, a 67-seat screening facility, but this was converted to additional office space in a building remodel.

File:PickfordCenter01.jpg in the Hollywood district]]

The Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood and named for legendary actress and Academy co-founder Mary Pickford, houses several Academy departments, including the Academy Film Archive, the Science and Technology Council, Student Academy Awards and Grants, and the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. The building, originally dedicated on August 18, 1948, is the oldest surviving structure in Hollywood that was designed specifically with television in mind. Additionally, it is the location of the Linwood Dunn Theater, which seats 286 people.

File:Waterworks Building, Beverly Hills, California LCCN2011633789.tif

The Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study is located at 333 S. La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills and is named for legendary actor and Academy co-founder Douglas Fairbanks. It is home to the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library, a world-renowned, non-circulating reference and research collection devoted to the history and development of the motion picture as an art form and an industry. Established in 1928, the library is open to the public and used year-round by students, scholars, historians and industry professionals. The library is named for Margaret Herrick, the Academy's first librarian who also played a major role in the Academy's first televised broadcast, helping to turn the Oscar ceremony into a major annual televised event.{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/library/about |title=About the Library |website=Oscars.org |date=July 30, 2014 |publisher=AMPAS |access-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-date=February 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201225330/http://oscars.org/library/about |url-status=live }}

The building itself was built in 1928, where it was originally built to be a water treatment plant for Beverly Hills. Its "bell tower" held water-purifying hardware.{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/california/la-tr-mission-lookalikes-photos-013-photo.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909193255/http://www.latimes.com/travel/california/la-tr-mission-lookalikes-photos-013-photo.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 9, 2014 |title=The Beverly Hills Waterworks Building, now known as the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date= January 29, 2016}}

{{main|Academy Museum of Motion Pictures}}

File:The May Company Building 2021.jpg ]]

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the newest facility associated with the Academy, is the United States' first large-scale museum dedicated to the film industry. It opened to the public on September 30, 2021,{{cite web |title=Visit |url=http://www.academymuseum.org/en/visit |website=www.academymuseum.org |access-date=April 22, 2020 |archive-date=October 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026042947/https://www.academymuseum.org/en/visit |url-status=live }} and it contains over {{convert|290000|sqft}} of galleries, exhibition spaces, movie theaters, educational areas, and special event spaces.[http://www.oscars.org/academymuseum/ The Academy Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820122412/http://www.oscars.org/academymuseum/ |date=August 20, 2013 }}. Oscars.org. Retrieved on May 22, 2014. The museum is located at 6067 Wilshire Boulevard at Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, in the historic May Company Building, now named the Saban Building.

The Academy also had a New York City-based East Coast showcase theater, the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International. The 220-seat venue was redesigned in 2011 by renowned theater designer Theo Kalomirakis, including an extensive installation of new audio and visual equipment. The theater was in the East 59th Street headquarters of Lighthouse International, a non-profit vision loss organization.{{cite web |last=Lester |first=Ahren |title=HARMAN's JBL loudspeakers installed at New York's Academy Theater |url=http://www.audioprointernational.com/news/read/harmans-jbl-loudspeakers-installed-at-new-yorks-academy-theater/04157 |publisher=Audio Pro International |access-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626144447/http://www.audioprointernational.com/news/read/harmans-jbl-loudspeakers-installed-at-new-yorks-academy-theater/04157 |archive-date=June 26, 2013 |url-status=dead}} In July 2015, it was announced that the Academy was forced to move out, due to Lighthouse International selling the property the theater was in.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/academy-forced-new-york-theater-807703 |title=Academy Forced Out of Longtime Theater Venue in New York |last1=Feinberg |first1=Scott |date=July 10, 2015 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-date=February 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207052908/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/academy-forced-new-york-theater-807703 |url-status=live }}

Academy membership is divided into 19 branches which represent different disciplines in motion pictures in addition to a separate category for artist representatives. Members may not belong to more than one branch. Members whose work does not fall within one of the branches may belong to a group known as "Members at Large". Members at Large have all the privileges of branch membership except for representation on the Board. Associate members are those closely allied to the industry but not actively engaged in motion picture production. They are not represented on the Board and do not vote on Academy Awards. {{As of|2024}}, the Academy's confirmed membership is 10,894, comprising 9,905 voting members, 949 non-voting emeritus members, and 40 associate members. The largest Academy branch is the actors branch, which in 2024 stood at 1,258 members, or 12.7% of the total membership.{{cite news|url = https://www.thewrap.com/how-many-votes-to-get-an-oscar-nomination-2025/|title = How Many Votes Will It Take to Get an Oscar Nomination in 2025?|last = Pond|first = Steve|date = December 12, 2024|accessdate = December 17, 2024|work = TheWrap}}

Membership in the Academy comes only through an invitation from the Board of Governors. An individual may be recommended to the board by two current members in the branch they would prospectively join, and anyone who is nominated for an Oscar is considered for membership by special committees of the various branches.{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/about/join-academy |title=Academy Membership |access-date=2025-02-13 }} Each spring, the Board will meet to consider who to extend invitations to, and new invitees are announced in a press release. Once accepted, membership does not expire.{{cite news |title=Oscar voters aren't always who you might think |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/academy/la-et-movie-academy-surprises-academy-project-html,0,7659145.htmlstory |access-date=February 26, 2012 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=February 19, 2012 |archive-date=February 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226011900/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/academy/la-et-movie-academy-surprises-academy-project-html,0,7659145.htmlstory |url-status=live }}

In 2012, the Los Angeles Times, sampling over 5,000 of the Academy's then-5,765 members, found that membership at the time was 94% white, 77% male, 86% age 50 or older, and had a median age of 62. A third of members were previous winners or nominees of Academy Awards themselves. On June 29, 2016, a paradigm shift began in the Academy's selection process, resulting in a new class comprising 46% women and 41% people of color.{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/06/29/idris-elba-john-boyega-part-new-diverse-academy-class/86522718/ |title=Academy's diverse new class includes Idris Elba, America Ferrera |website=USA Today |date=June 29, 2016 |access-date=August 23, 2017 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630041445/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/06/29/idris-elba-john-boyega-part-new-diverse-academy-class/86522718/ |url-status=live }} The effort to diversify the Academy was led by social activist and Broadway Black managing-editor April Reign.{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/april-reign-oscarssowhite_us_56d21088e4b03260bf771018 |title=Meet April Reign, the Activist Who Created OscarsSoWhite |website=HuffPost |date=February 27, 2016 |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=March 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305131713/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/april-reign-oscarssowhite_us_56d21088e4b03260bf771018 |url-status=live }} Reign created the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite as a means of criticizing the dearth of non-white nominees for the 2015 Academy Awards. Though the hashtag drew widespread media attention, the Academy remained obstinate on the matter of adopting a resolution that would make demonstrable its efforts to increase diversity. With the 2016 Academy Awards, many, including April Reign, were dismayed by the Academy's indifference about representation and inclusion, as the 2016 nominees were once again entirely white. April Reign revived #OscarsSoWhite, and renewed her campaign efforts, which included multiple media appearances and interviews with reputable news outlets. As a result of Reign's campaign, the discourse surrounding representation and recognition in film spread beyond the United States and became a global discussion {{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}. Faced with mounting pressure to expand the Academy membership, the Academy capitulated and instituted new policies to ensure that future Academy membership invitations would better represent the demographics of modern film-going audiences.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-academy-new-members-live-updates-20160629-htmlstory.html |title=Updates on the film academy's 2016 class: An exclusive club gets much bigger after OscarsSoWhite |date=June 29, 2016 |newspaper=L.A. Times |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=July 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708211231/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-academy-new-members-live-updates-20160629-htmlstory.html |url-status=live }} The A2020 initiative was announced in January 2016 to double the number of women and people of color in membership by 2020{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}. {{As of|2020}}, 25 of the Academy's 54 members of the Board of Governors are female.{{cite web |title=Board of Governors |url=https://www.oscars.org/about/board-of-governors |website=oscars.org |date=September 2014 |access-date=April 22, 2020 |archive-date=April 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423155551/https://www.oscars.org/about/board-of-governors |url-status=live }}

The Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, screens many new films for Academy members.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2012/03/oscar-voters-last-to-see-hunger-games-249315/ |title=Oscar Voters Last To See 'Hunger Games'? |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=March 26, 2012 |access-date=March 26, 2012 |author=Hammond, Pete |archive-date=March 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328152755/http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/oscar-voters-last-to-see-hunger-games/ |url-status=live }} Since 2021, films in contention for awards are made available to members through a designated streaming app, replacing physical screeners.{{cite news|url = https://deadline.com/2020/04/oscars-major-changes-academy-awards-coronavirus-1202919950/|title = Oscars Keeping Show Date But Make Big News As Academy Lightens Eligibility Rules, Combines Sound Categories, Ends DVD Screeners and More|date = April 28, 2020|accessdate = December 16, 2024|work = Deadline Hollywood|last = Hammond|first = Pete}}

Five people are known to have been expelled from the Academy. Academy officials acknowledge that other members have been expelled in the past, most for selling their Oscar tickets, but no numbers are available.{{cite news |last1=Day |first1=Patrick |title=The academy: Neither a secret, nor a society |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-oscars-theacademy-lat-story.html |access-date=March 31, 2022 |work=chicagotribune.com |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=February 27, 2004 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401235719/https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-oscars-theacademy-lat-story.html |url-status=live }}

• February 3, 2004 – Actor Carmine Caridi was expelled for copyright infringement. He was accused of leaking screeners that had been sent to him.{{Cite news |url=http://people.com/movies/godfather-actor-thrown-out-academy-lending-screeners/ |title=The Godfather Actor Carmine Caridi Says He Was Thrown Out of the Academy for Sharing VHS Screeners |date=2017-02-22 |work=PEOPLE.com |access-date=2017-10-15 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015150121/http://people.com/movies/godfather-actor-thrown-out-academy-lending-screeners/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/an-actors-personal-tale-i-was-thrown-academy-sharing-screeners-976778 |title=An Actor's Personal Tale: I Was Thrown Out of the Academy for Sharing VHS Screeners |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=2017-10-15 |language=en |archive-date=March 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325201651/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/an-actors-personal-tale-i-was-thrown-academy-sharing-screeners-976778 |url-status=live }}
• October 13, 2017 – Producer Harvey Weinstein was expelled for "sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment" after an emergency meeting held on October 13, 2017.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/business/media/harvey-weinstein-ousted-from-motion-picture-academy.html |title=Harvey Weinstein Ousted From Motion Picture Academy |last=Barnes |first=Brooks |date=2017-10-14 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2017-10-15 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015011745/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/business/media/harvey-weinstein-ousted-from-motion-picture-academy.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/14/harvey-weinstein-oscars-academy-holds-emergency-meeting |title=Harvey Weinstein expelled from Academy over sexual assault allegations |last1=Lartey |first1=Jamiles |date=2017-10-14 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2017-10-15 |last2=London |first2=Edward Helmore David Batty in |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015124736/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/14/harvey-weinstein-oscars-academy-holds-emergency-meeting |url-status=live }}
• May 1, 2018 – Actor Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanski were expelled "in accordance with the organization's Standards of Conduct".{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/polanski-cosby-academy-expels-oscars/ |title=Film Academy Expels Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby |date=May 3, 2018 |access-date=February 25, 2019 |archive-date=April 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407032921/https://www.thewrap.com/polanski-cosby-academy-expels-oscars/ |url-status=live }} Cosby had been convicted of sexual assault one week earlier, while Polanski had been convicted in 1977 of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
• March 17, 2021 – Cinematographer Adam Kimmel was expelled in 2021 after a Variety story exposed the fact that he is a registered sex offender.{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/academy-asc-adam-kimmel-registered-sex-offender-expelled-1234830788/ |title=Academy Expels Registered Sex Offender Adam Kimmel After Variety Investigation (EXCLUSIVE) |first1=Kate |last1=Aurthur |date=March 17, 2021 |access-date=March 17, 2021 |archive-date=March 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317184711/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/academy-asc-adam-kimmel-registered-sex-offender-expelled-1234830788/ |url-status=live }}

The following members have voluntarily resigned from the organization:

• Sound engineer Tom Fleischman resigned from the Academy on March 5, 2022, citing changes to the broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, during which eight award categories {{ndash}} including Best Sound {{ndash}} were not presented live, but rather during the commercial breaks.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tom-fleischman-resigns-over-academy-oscars-telecast-plans-1235105095/ |title=Oscar Winner Tom Fleischman Resigns From Motion Picture Academy Over Controversial Telecast Plans (Exclusive) |last=Giardina |first=Carolyn |date=March 5, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403054440/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tom-fleischman-resigns-over-academy-oscars-telecast-plans-1235105095/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/tom-fleischman-oscars-ampas-resigns-over-tv-plans-report-1234971869/ |title=Oscar-Winning Sound Mixer Tom Fleischman Resigns From AMPAS Over Its Televised Category Plans |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=March 5, 2022 |website=Deadline |access-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326045242/https://deadline.com/2022/03/tom-fleischman-oscars-ampas-resigns-over-tv-plans-report-1234971869/ |url-status=live }} Production sound mixer Peter Kurland also resigned his membership on March 23, 2022, citing the changes.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-academy-member-resigns-telecast-1235117771/ |title=Academy Member Peter Kurland to Resign Over Oscars Telecast Controversy (Exclusive) |last=Giardina |first=Carolyn |date=March 23, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404032024/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-academy-member-resigns-telecast-1235117771/ |url-status=live }}
• Actor Will Smith announced his resignation from the Academy on April 1, 2022, five days after his onstage slap of Chris Rock, one of the ceremony's presenters, during the 94th Academy Awards.{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/01/entertainment/will-smith-resigns-from-academy/index.html |title=Will Smith resigns from the Academy |work=CNN |last=Stelter |first=Brian |date=April 3, 2022 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404004609/https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/01/entertainment/will-smith-resigns-from-academy/index.html |url-status=live }}

The branches of the Academy are:

1. Actors
2. Animation (created from former Short Films and Feature Animation Branch){{cite web |title=Academy to Create Two Individual Branches From Short Films and Feature Animation Branch: Animation Branch and Short Films Branch |url=https://press.oscars.org/news/academy-create-two-individual-branches-short-films-and-feature-animation-branch-animation |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=February 26, 2024 |access-date=March 30, 2024 }}
3. Casting Directors{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2013/20130731.html |title=The Academy Creates Branch For Casting Directors |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=July 31, 2013 |access-date=August 2, 2013 |archive-date=August 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804051559/http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2013/20130731.html |url-status=live }}
4. Cinematographers
5. Costume Designers (created from former Art Directors Branch){{cite web |url=http://www.goldderby.com/news/4543/oscars-academy-awards-michael-moore-alex-gibney-film-news-entertainment-13579086.html |title=Oscars shockeroo: Alex Gibney beats incumbent Michael Moore for board seat |publisher=Goldderby.com |date=July 15, 2013 |access-date=August 2, 2013 |archive-date=August 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821115815/http://www.goldderby.com/news/4543/oscars-academy-awards-michael-moore-alex-gibney-film-news-entertainment-13579086.html |url-status=live }}
6. Directors
7. Documentary
8. Executives
9. Film Editors
10. Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
11. Marketing and Public Relations
12. Music
13. Producers
14. Production and Technology{{cite web |title=Academy Establishes New Production and Technology Branch |url=https://press.oscars.org/news/academy-establishes-new-production-and-technology-branch |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=November 28, 2023}}
15. Production Design (created from former Art Directors Branch)
16. Short Films (created from former Short Films and Feature Animation Branch)
17. Sound
18. Visual Effects
19. Writers

{{as of|2020|April}}, the board of governors consists of 57 governors: three governors from each of the 19 Academy branches and three governors-at-large. The Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch, created in 2006, had only one governor until July 2013. The Casting Directors Branch, created in 2013, elected its first three governors in Fall 2013.

The board of governors is responsible for corporate management, control, and general policies. The board of governors also appoints a CEO and a COO to supervise the administrative activities of the Academy.

From the original formal banquet, which was hosted by Louis B. Mayer in 1927, everyone invited became a founder of the Academy:{{cite web |title=History of the Academy: Original 36 founders of the Academy Actors |url=http://www.hollywoodgoldenguy.com/About_The_Academy.html |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website |access-date=July 20, 2013 |year=2008 |archive-date=June 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616091143/http://www.hollywoodgoldenguy.com/About_The_Academy.html |url-status=live }}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-3}}

;Actors

• Richard Barthelmess
• Jack Holt
• Conrad Nagel
• Milton Sills
• Douglas Fairbanks
• Harold Lloyd
• Mary Pickford

;Directors

• Cecil B. DeMille
• Frank Lloyd
• Henry King
• Fred Niblo
• John M. Stahl
• Raoul Walsh

{{col-3}}

;Lawyers

• Edwin Loeb
• George W. Cohen

;Producers

• Fred Beetson
• Charles H. Christie
• Sid Grauman
• Milton E. Hoffman
• Jesse L. Lasky
• M. C. Levee
• Louis B. Mayer
• Joseph M. Schenck
• Irving Thalberg
• Harry Warner
• Jack L. Warner
• Harry Rapf

{{col-3}}

;Technicians

• J. Arthur Ball
• Cedric Gibbons
• Roy Pomeroy

;Writers

• Joseph W. Farnham
• Benjamin Glazer
• Jeanie MacPherson
• Bess Meredyth
• Carey Wilson
• Frank E. Woods

{{col-end}}

Presidents are elected for one-year terms and may not be elected for more than four consecutive terms.

Source: {{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/academy-story |title=Academy Story |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=January 9, 2018 |archive-date=April 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401224430/http://www.oscars.org/academy-story |url-status=dead }}

;Academy officers{{Cite web |url=https://www.oscars.org/about/board-of-governors |title=Board of Governors |date=September 1, 2014 |website=Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=April 22, 2020 |archive-date=April 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423155551/https://www.oscars.org/about/board-of-governors |url-status=live }}

• President – Janet Yang
• Vice President / Secretary – Howard A. Rodman
• Vice President / Treasurer – Donna Gigliotti
• Vice President – Lynette Howell Taylor
• Vice President – Lesley Barber
• Vice President – DeVon Franklin
• Chief Executive Officer – Bill Kramer

;Governors

• Actors Branch – Marlee Matlin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rita Wilson
• Animation Branch – Jinko Gotoh, Marlon West
• Casting Directors Branch – Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Coleman, Debra Zane
• Cinematographers Branch – Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron, Ellen Kuras
• Costume Designers Branch – Ruth E. Carter, Eduardo Castro, Daniel Orlandi
• Directors Branch – Patricia Cardoso, Ava DuVernay, Jason Reitman
• Documentary Branch – Chris Hegedus, Simon Kilmurry, Jean Tsien
• Executives Branch – Pam Abdy, Donna Gigliotti, Hannah Minghella
• Film Editors Branch – Nancy Richardson, Stephen E. Rivkin, Terilyn A. Shropshire
• Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch – Howard Berger, Linda Flowers, Gerald Quist
• Marketing and Public Relations Branch – Megan Colligan, David Dinerstein, Laura C. Kim
• Music Branch – Lesley Barber, Charles Fox, Richard Gibbs
• Producers Branch – Jason Blum, Jennifer Fox, Lynette Howell Taylor
• Production and Technology Branch – Wendy Aylsworth
• Production Design Branch – K. K. Barrett, Kalina Ivanov, Missy Parker
• Short Films Branch – Chris Tashima
• Sound Branch – Peter J. Devlin, Andy Nelson, Mark Stoeckinger
• Visual Effects Branch – Rob Bredow, Brooke Breton, Paul Debevec
• Writers Branch – Howard A. Rodman, Eric Roth, Dana Stevens
• Governors-at-large (nominated by the President and elected by the board) – DeVon Franklin, Rodrigo García, Janet Yang

{{Portal|Film|United States}}

• Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• American Film Institute
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts
• Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma
• Motion Picture Association of America
• National Film Registry

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category-inline}}

• {{Official website|oscars.org}}
• {{Twitter|TheAcademy|Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}
• {{YouTube|user=Oscars|Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}
• [http://newdeal.feri.org/nation/na38146p381.htm Hollywood is a Union Town], The Nation (April 2, 1938) History of the Academy and Screen Actors Guild

{{Academy Awards}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cinema of Southern California

Category:Culture of Los Angeles

Category:Film-related professional associations

Category:Media museums in California

Category:Beverly Hills, California

Category:Organizations established in 1927

Category:1927 establishments in California