An Indian success story is getting the spotlight with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) inviting three film-makers from Jamia Millia Islamia for The Oscars’ judging panel.
Three Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni invited by The Oscars
It’s a proud moment for the film-making community in India with the AMPAS selecting three film-makers from the renowned Jamia Millia Islamia in Aligarh. In line with the Academy’s bid to double the number of women and under-represented ethnic communities, they’ve selected Nishtha Jain, Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya, followed by 816 diverse members to vote in the awards’ categories.
Nishtha Jain, a prominent documentary film-maker whose credentials boast of works like ‘At My Doorstep,’ (2009) ‘Lakshmi & Me,’ (2007), ‘City of Photos’ and ‘Gulabi Gang’ (2012), has been a recipient of Muhr Award at the Dubai International Film Festival, followed by six wins and three nominations in the international film festival circuit.
Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya, both a force to reckon with on the film-making scene, emerged triumphant with 15 wins and 12 nominations thanks to the 2016 documentary ‘The Cinema Travellers,’ notably bagging the ‘Golden Eye – Special Mention’ award at the Cannes Film Festival. Not to mention the directorial winning the President’s Medal In India. Their other works include ‘Searching For Saraswati’ (2018) and ‘The Hour of Lynching’ (2019).
36% of the 2020 Oscars class from under-represented ethnic communities
In case you’re unaware, the last few years saw The Oscars face backlash for lack of diversity with a majority of winners being predominantly white. Chances are you might have come across hashtag, #OscarsSoWhite trend on your social media feed. In an attempt to include more diversity in its jury, The Academy selected 819 members, out of which 45% are women, 36% are from diverse racial communities and nearly half of the panel is from 68 countries.
Apart from the trio, you’d be surprised to know actors Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt received an invitation too.
For the invitees line-up, click here.
“We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one. We are committed to staying the course. I cannot give enough thanks to all our members and staff who worked on the A2020 initiative and to our head of Member Relations and Awards, Lorenza Muñoz, for her leadership and passion in guiding us through to this point and helping to set the path going forward. We look forward to continuing to foster an Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new Museum, and in our awards.”
Dawn Hudson, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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(Featured photograph credit: Pixabay)
