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In the largest invitation list since 2020, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited over 500 new members into their ranks. The annual list of creatives invited to join the Academy includes numerous A-list stars and several 2025 Academy Award nominees and winners.

On June 26, the Academy released its list of 534 invitees - which include directors, writers, actors, casting directors, cinematographers, film editors and those with many other ranging roles in thefilm industry.

Many notable newbies include 2025 Oscar winners, including Mikey Madison (Best Actress, Anora) and Kieran Culkin (Best Supporting Actor, A Real Pain). Among all the invitees this year 91 are past Oscar nominees including 26 winners.

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All Oscar nominees are automatically considered for membership in the year in which they are nominated. Others require sponsorship by two Academy members from the branch or category to which they are seeking admission, with the vast majority being invited to become members.

Other prominent names include Ariana Grande, Gillian Anderson, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. Invitations have also been extended to many big British stars.

British stars featured include Stephen Graham (Adolescence), Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, 28 Years Later), Emma Corrin (Nosferatu, The Crown), Andrew Scott (Fleabag, All of Us Strangers) and Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice).

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The new list also includes Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian filmmaker who was detained in Israel weeks after winning the Best Documentary Feature prize for No Other Land. The Academy apologised for not issuing an immediate public condemnation of his treatment after receiving widespread criticism.

The uptick in invitations suggests a renewed effort by the Academy to address gaps in diversity. The Academy exhibited a similar increase in invitations between the mid 2010s and 2020 following the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 41 percent of the 2025 invitation class are women, 45 percent hail from underrepresented communities and 55 percent are based outside of the United States (in 60 different countries and territories).

If all invites are accepted, total members will be up to 11,120 and the number of voting members will be 10,143. The overall diversity stats still leave much to be desired as even with the new class the Academy would be 35% women, 22% from underrepresented communities and 21% international.

“We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists and professionals to join the Academy,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yangsaid in a joint statement. “Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.”