Congratulations to the Parasite Cast and the Other 800 New Academy Members

Jessica, Only Child, Academy Member. Photo: Neon

As part of its annual efforts to make the Oscar voting base more diverse, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday that it had extended invitations to 819 prospective new members. (Traditionally, not everyone accepts the membership, but the Academy says the vast majority do.) Among this year’s lucky invitees: “It� girl Ana de Armas; A24 directors Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and Lulu Wang; and Choi Woo-Shik, Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Lee Jung-Eun, and Park So-Dam of Parasite. (Both Bong Joon Ho and Kang-ho Song were already invited.) Per the Academy, the incoming class is 45 percent female, 36 percent “underrepresented ethnic/racial communities,� and 49 percent international. That takes the numbers for the Academy membership as a whole up to 33 percent, 19 percent, and over 20 percent, respectively, which fulfills the organization’s 2016 aim of doubling its female and nonwhite membership — a statistic that is equal parts heartening and depressing. To see the full list of invitees, click here.