All the women you need to know about on the new Academy Board of Governors
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are in a bit of a mess right now but that hasn’t stopped more than 180 members vying for 17 available spots on the 54 member board of governors overseeing the Academy’s strategic mission, financial health, and the Oscars. Run-off voting ended May 18th, culling the field to four nominees per branch. With the new board of Academy Governors now in we thought it was time to take a look at the women who hold the most powerful positions within one of the most powerful organisation in the world of cinema, the Academy. Get it, ladies!
The Board of Governors
Susanne Bier (elected)
Susanne Bier is a Danish film director best known for her feature films Brothers, After the Wedding, the Academy Award-winning In a Better World and the TV miniseries The Night Manager.
Directors Branch
Kimberly Peirce (returning)
Peirce is the director of the Oscar-winning film Boys Don’t Cry. Her other feature credits include Stop-Loss, and the 2013 film adaptation of Carrie.
Documentary Branch
Kate Amend (returning)
Amend is the editor of the Oscar-winning documentaries Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport and The Long Way Home.
Actors Branch
Whoopi Goldberg (returning)
Everyone knows who Whoopi is, surely.
Laura Dern (returning)
You should also all know who Laura Dern is to.
Meg Ryan (You’ve Got Mail) and Brie Larson (Free Fire) both lost out to Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark) in replacing Tom Hanks (The Post) in this branch.
Officers Branch
Lois Burwell (First Vice President) (returning)
Lois Burwell is a British Oscar-winning makeup artist. She won the Best Makeup Oscar at the 68th Academy Awards for the film Braveheart, which she shared with Peter Frampton and Paul Pattison.
Nancy Utley (Vice President) (returning)
Nancy Utley was appointed President of Fox Searchlight Pictures in 2009. She jointly manages all aspects of the company including production, acquisitions, marketing and distribution alongside fellow President Stephen Gilula.
Casting Directors Branch
Lora Kennedy (returning)
Kennedy has worked as a casting director for more than 25 years, on such features as Soapdish, Tombstone, Argo, The Town, Wonder Woman, and Justice League.
Cinematographers Branch
Mandy Walker (returning)
Walker’s credits include Hidden Figures, The Mountain Between Us, Australia, Shattered Glass and Lantana. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame for The Australian Cinematographers Society in 2017.
Costume Designers Branch
Sharen K. Davis (returning)
Davis received Oscar nominations for her costume designs for Dreamgirls and Ray. Her other feature credits include Fences, Django Unchained, and The Help.
Isis Mussenden (returning)
Mussenden’s credits include The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe (and two additional sequels), American Psycho, and The Wolverine. In addition, she was the first costume designer to receive costume-design credit for animation on Shrek, Shrek 2, and Puss in Boots.
Producers Branch
The producers branch, will have a runoff election, as the balloting resulted in a tie. Competing for the seat were producers Jason Blum (Get Out), Michael De Luca (The Social Network), Jennifer Todd (Memento) and Janet Yang (Empire of the Sun). The voting resulted in a tie between Blum and Todd. The runoff election will begin Monday and end Tuesday.
Writers Branch
Robin Swicord (returning)
Swicord received an Oscar nomination for Adapted Screenplay for for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Her writing credits also include Little Women, Matilda, Memoirs of a Geisha. She also wrote and directed The Jane Austen Book Club, and Wakefield.
