Academy invites record 744 new members amid effort to increase diversity

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2017 class includes Gal Gadot and Barry Jenkins, attempting to make good on a promise to diversify The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it had invited a record 744 new members to its governing body, surpassing the 683 invitations issued in 2016. The Academy has been under pressure to diversify its membership for several years, reaching a crescendo in 2015, when all 20 acting nominees were white, prompting