The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the body behind the Oscars) has invited 534 new individuals to become members. It’s the biggest batch since 2020, covering a wide range, actors, comedians, cinematographers, directors, musicians, and more. Alongside Hollywood names such as Sebastian Stan, Mikey Madison, and Ariana Grande, this year’s list also includes major Indian talent. Actors such as Kamal Haasan, Ayushmann Khurrana, cinematographer Ranabir Das, costume designer Maxima Basu, and others have been inducted by The Academy.
Indians on the Academy’s 2026 invite list
Actors
Kamal Haasan – Vikram, Nayakan
Ayushmann Khurrana – Article 15, Andhadhu
Casting Directors
Karan Mally – Toofaan, Gully Boy
Cinematographers
Ranabir Das – All We Imagine as Light, A Night of Knowing Nothing
Costume Designers
Maxima Basu – All We Imagine as Light, Bajirao Mastani
Documentary
Arun Bhattarai – Agent of Happiness, The Next Guardian
Smriti Mundhra – I Am Ready, Warden, St. Louis Superman
Executives
Ravi Ahuja
Production and Technology
Chaitanya Chinchlikar
Momita SenGupta
Munira Tayabji
Sound
PM Satheesh – Agni, Baahubali: The Beginning
Visual Effects
Ravi Bansal – Nyad, The Jungle Book
Abishek Nair – Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Fate of the Furious
Yugandhar Tammareddy – Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, Rangasthalam
Jateen Thakkar – Leo: Bloody Sweat, Mirzya
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Writers
Payal Kapadia – All We Imagine as Light, A Night of Knowing Nothing
Associates (non voting)
Among the new invitees are talk show icons Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, both past Oscar hosts, who’ve now been brought in as Associates (non-voting members). On the executive front, major names like Tom Quinn (Neon), Jason Ropell (Mubi), Ravi Ahuja (Sony), and Shannon Ryan (Disney) lead the pack. Also on the list are top talent reps, including Ari Greenburg (WME), Nina Shaw (entertainment lawyer), and Christian Hodell (Hamilton Hodell, UK).
The list also features several Oscar winners and nominees from the 2025 ceremony
Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain
The team behind No Other Land
Lol Crawley and Daniel Blumberg from The Brutalist
Best Actress winner Mikey Madison and the Best Picture team from Anora
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Also read: Recalling stories behind the Academy Awards’ name, $1 resale value of Oscar statuette and more
Interestingly, Karla Sofía Gascón, the first-ever trans woman nominated for Best Actress, was left off the invite list, possibly for the same reason her Oscars hopes were dashed, after old tweets resurfaced and sparked backlash. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang, in a statement to Variety said, “We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy. Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.”
How Academy membership works
Oscar nominees are automatically considered for membership in the same year. Other applicants need to be recommended by two existing Academy members from their respective disciplines. There are also some celebs who get invited by multiple branches like directors and writers, and are asked to pick one. This time, the case was observed with 12 names, including Brady Corbet, Smriti Mundhra, Coralie Fargeat, Gints Zilbalodis, and more.
Some of the big highlights of this year’s invitee list include Hamdan Ballal, who was arrested by the Israeli Defence Forces after winning an Oscar. Big names from recent projects like Jane Schoenbrun, Naomi Ackie, Rose Glass, and Gillian Anderson are also included in the list. Even the producers behind the last two Oscar ceremonies, Raj Kapoor, Katy Mullan, and Molly McNearney, were added in the non-voting criteria. If everyone accepts, the Academy’s total will hit 11,120 members, out of which 10,143 will be eligible to vote.
