Washington (dpa) - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday named a diverse list of new members, responding to criticism that white males are over-represented in the organization.
The 928 new members represent 59 different countries and several age groups - the youngest new member is 14 while the oldest is 86, the academy said in a news release.
Of the new members, 49 percent are female bringing the overall representation of females in the organization to 31 percent. This number has increased from 25 per cent in 2015.
A similarly high proportion of new members are people of colour. They comprise 38 percent of new members, bringing their overall membership up to 16 per cent, a number which has doubled since 2015.
The figures reflect a series of changes implemented by the board of governors of the academy in 2016 to diversify membership and double the number of women and minority members by 2020.
The push for increased diversity in Hollywood was spotlighted in 2015 with the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, which began after only white actors were nominated for the 20 lead and supporting acting categories.
