B.D. Wong and John Cho among 774 invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

June 28, 2017

Los Angeles

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its 2017 list of invitees. Asian American actors B.D. Wong and John Cho were included on the 2017 list of 774 people invited by the Academy. 

Other actors invited include Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed (The Night Of, The Reluctant Fundamentalist), Priyanka Chopra, Irffan Khan, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung,

Filmmakers invited to join the Academy's documentary branch include Grace Lee (American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs), S. Leo Chiang (Village Called Versailles, Out Run),  and Keiko Deguchi (Cats of Mirikitani, God Knows Where I Am). Greg Pak was invited to join the feature animation and short films branch.

This year, the move is to increase a more diverse membership to better reflect the industry, after the Oscar nominees in 2016 were all White for the second year in a row which sparked the #OscarsSoWhite backlash. If they accept, the new members will be able to vote in the acting categories.