The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invited 529 artists and executives to membership on June 24, 2026. The class is 53 percent international, drawn from 60 countries and territories outside the United States, making it one of the most globally distributed in the Academy's history.
Three share a single title: Akinola Davies Jr. directed My Father's Shadow, the first Nigerian film selected for the official lineup at the Cannes Film Festival; Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù led its cast; and PC Williams designed its costumes. All three enter the Academy this year.
The nine African and African-diaspora filmmakers, actors, and producers invited to join the Academy's new Oscar voters for 2026:
— Tarik Saleh (Egypt) — Writers — Akinola Davies Jr. (Nigeria) — Short Films — Mohamed Attia (Egypt) — Production Design — PC Williams (Nigeria) — Costume Designers — Ahmed Hafez (Egypt) — Film Editors — Peter Murimi (Kenya) — Documentary — Lamia Chraïbi (Morocco) — Producers — Karim Aïtouna (Morocco) — Producers — Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Nigeria) — Actors
Those who accept will be the Academy's only new members this year. The class spans six African countries — Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, and Morocco among them — and represents Nollywood, East African documentary filmmaking, and North African cinema within a single cohort. If the Oscars in 2027 carry any African fingerprints, this is the class that put them there.
Source: africanfilmpress.com