After the biggest influx of new members in the organization’s history, the number of voters for the Oscars has increased by nearly 600 to 7,258, according to the latest branch count compiled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The count is prepared each December for the upcoming Oscars vote, with this year’s figures showing an increase in every one of the Academy’s 17 branches.
In June, the Academy invited 774 film professionals to join, the largest such invitation list in its history. The year-to-year increase in membership is less than 774 because not every prospective member accepts the invitation (though the vast majority do), and because about 100 Academy members die each year and others opt for non-voting, retired status.
The Actors Branch, by far the largest branch in the Academy, now consists of 1,218 voting members, an increase of 60 over last year’s total. Three branches had larger increases: The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch added 86 new voting members, while the Sound Branch added 69 and the Visual Effects Branch added 67.
If you include non-voting associate members and retired members in the count, the total membership of the Academy passed the 8,000 mark and now stands at 8,298.
Here is the branch count, with the increase over last year in parentheses. These numbers are for active members and do not include retired members (except at the end of the list).
Actors: 1,218 (+60)
Casting Directors: 113 (+14)
Cinematographers: 246 (+6)
Costume Designers: 128 (+11)
Designers: 308 (+13)
Directors: 512 (+39)
Documentary: 320 (+43)
Executives: 499 (+31)
Film Editors: 298 (+24)
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists: 183 (+26)
Music: 305 (+26)
Producers: 524 (+20)
Public Relations: 416 (+27)
Short Films and Feature Animation: 565 (+86)
Sound: 487 (+69)
Visual Effects: 450 (+67)
Writers: 422 (+16)
Members-at-Large: 264 (+31)
Total voting members: 7,258 (+571)
Associates: 196 (+7)
Total active members: 7,545 (+669)
Total retired members: 844 (+34)
Total active and retired members: 8,298 (+612)