25 New Academy Members Who Could Shake Up the Oscars

89th Annual Academy Awards, Backstage, Los Angeles, USA – 26 Feb 2017

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With this year’s announcement of their new invitees — a record 774 — the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continues its quest to diversify its largely white male membership ranks across all fields. While the Academy seeks candidates who have “demonstrated exceptional achievement in the field of theatrical motion pictures,” over the past few years, it has notably tried to push towards inclusion and diversity, even as the entertainment industry struggles to meet similar ends. While it’s still early, this year’s batch of invitees gives us some hope for a brand new, modern Academy — especially these 25.
Lin-Manuel Miranda

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Theater darling Lin-Manuel Miranda earned Tonys for Broadway efforts “In the Heights” and “Hamilton,” and now he’s making his name in film by composing the score for “Moana” and starring in the upcoming “Mary Poppins Returns.”
Fred Berger

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Berger was one of the producers on “La La Land,” “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” and “Taking Chance.” His upcoming producing credits include the Oscar Isaac-starring “Operation Finale” and the Reed Morano-directed “I Think We’re Alone Now.”
Gal Gadot

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Gadot will forever be immortalized as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince thanks to Patty Jenkins’ record-breaking blockbuster of the same name.
Pablo Trapero

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Pablo Trapero is an Argentine filmmalker best known for social thrillers such as “White Elephant” and “The Clan,” which won the director the Silver Lion at Berlin. The movie was Argentina’s official selection of the Oscar in 2016.
Howard Gertler

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Gertler has made a name for himself as the producer of documentaries like “How to Survive a Plague” and John Cameron Mitchell features “Short Bus” and the upcoming “How to Talk to Girls At Parties.”
Riz Ahmed

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Riz Ahmed had his biggest year ever in 2016 with acclaimed roles in the HBO limited series “The Night Of” and the blockbuster “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” He’s been a fixture in the headlines for his activism and rap career as well.
John Cho

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From blockbusters like “Star Trek” to comedies (“Harold and Kumar”), indies (the upcoming “Columbus”) and television series (“Selfie”), John Cho has touched nearly every part of the business.
Athina Rachel Tsangari

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Along with Yorgos Lanthimos, Athina Rachel Tsangari is one of the most well known directors to emerge from the Greek New Wave. Her credits include festival favorites “Attenberg” and “Chevalier.”
Donald Glover

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Glover’s invitation comes on the heels of his acclaimed first season of FX comedy “Atlanta.” When he’s not rapping under his Childish Gambino persona, Glover stars in films like “The Martian,” “Magic Mike XXL” and the upcoming “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and Han Solo standalone film, where he’s set to play a young Lando Calrissian.
Lucas Hedges

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Hedges received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his breakout role in Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester By the Sea.”
Zoe Kravitz

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Kravitz has been rising the ranks of Hollywood with roles in the “Divergent” franchise, “Mad Max: Fury Road” and a solid supporting role in this year’s buzzy HBO limited series “Big Little Lies.”
Barry Jenkins

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Nine years after breaking out with indie romance “Medicine for Melancholy,” Barry Jenkins became one of the best voices in American cinema with “Moonlight,” which earned three Oscars, including Best Picture.
James Laxton

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Laxton earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography for his work behind the camera on Best Picture winner “Moonlight.”
Rajendra Roy

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Rajendra Roy serves as the Chief Curator of Film at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Pedro Costa

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Portuguese film director Pedro Costa has been making films since 1989. He’s well regarded for his observational style in films like “Ossos” and “Horse Money.”
Lauren Schwartz

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Lauren Schwartz is the Senior Vice President, Publicity and Promotions at IFC Films.
David Mackenzie

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Scottish director David Mackenzie has been making movies for well over a decade, but he’s become more high profile in recent years thanks to efforts like “Starred Up” and “Hell or High Water.”
Jordan Peele

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After owning television comedy with his hit Comedy Central series “Key & Peele,” Jordan Peele successfully transitioned to director with the acclaimed horror thriller “Get Out.”
Pablo Cruz

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Mexican producer Pablo Cruz brought Cary Fukunaga onto the scene with “Sin Nombre” and also worked on the acclaimed 2011 drama “Miss Bala,” which was Mexico’s official entry for the Academy Award.
Diane Becker

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The producer earned acclaim for the three-part Netflix documentary series “Five Came Back,” and has a Leonard Skynyrd documentary currently in production.
Adam Driver

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After breaking out on the HBO series “Girls,” Driver has blossomed into a major indie movie star thanks to roles in “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “While We’re Young,” “Paterson” and Martin Scorsese’s “Silence.”
Penny Lane

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Penny Lane has won over critics with documentaries like “Our Nixon” and “Nuts!” The latter was a Sundance favorite in 2016.
AJ Schnack

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Schnack is a documentary heavyweight who founded Cinema Eye Honors in 2007 and is the co-creator of Field of Vision.
Kleber Mendonca Filho

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Brazilian film director Kleber Mendonca Filho competed for the Palme d’Or in 2016 with his most high profile film to date, “Aquarius.”
Mary Elizabeth Winstead

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After becoming a genre movie favorite thanks to roles in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “10 Cloverfield Lane,” Winstead came to television and earned universal acclaim for her turn in “Fargo” Season 3.

89th Annual Academy Awards, Backstage, Los Angeles, USA – 26 Feb 2017

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Fred Berger

Gal Gadot

Pablo Trapero

Howard Gertler

Riz Ahmed

John Cho

Athina Rachel Tsangari

Donald Glover

Lucas Hedges

Zoe Kravitz

Barry Jenkins

James Laxton

Rajendra Roy

Pedro Costa

Lauren Schwartz

David Mackenzie

Jordan Peele

Pablo Cruz

Diane Becker

Adam Driver

Penny Lane

AJ Schnack

Kleber Mendonca Filho

Mary Elizabeth Winstead