The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be greeting new members from the region as it was announced on Thursday, and it’s not short of Arabs.
British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi and Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania are set to join a team of over 300 new associates. As part of the organisation’s will to keep on developing and growing in size whilst diversifying its demographics at the same time, the released list of 395 invites included a wide range of personalities from all sorts of backgrounds and ethnic heritage.
Some of the notable figures mentioned included, but were not limited to, Janet Jackson, Robert Pattinson, H.E.R., Henry Golding and Eiza Gonzalez to name just a few.
Both of Arab descent, Farah Nablusi is globally recognised for having directed the Oscar-nominated The Present while Ben Hania for the contributions made towards the internationally awarded and acclaimed The Man Who Sold His Skin. Other regional members of the industry will also be joining this relatively closed circle such as film producer Ossama Bawardi and Iraqi-Dutch filmmaker Mohamed Al-Daradji both known for having respectively worked on The Translator and Ahlaam.
Hoping to see this inclusivity translate into the sponsored productions of the renowned institution, we hope to see how these new additions will tackle representation and misrepresentation on the silver screen while being strong catalysts for change.
