Several Norwegian Film Professionals Invited to become members of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Those invited include both established names and emerging voices in Norwegian cinema who have made their mark internationally. In its announcement, the Academy highlights this year’s intake as an especially strong and diverse group.

This year’s figures show that 42 percent of those invited are women, 56 percent come from underrepresented communities, and 53 percent are from 60 different countries outside the United States. This reflects the Academy’s continued efforts to increase diversity within its membership—an effort that has been ongoing for more than a decade.
 

If all invitees accept, the Academy will have more than 11,300 members in total. With this year’s intake, the membership will consist of 36 percent women, 25 percent from underrepresented communities, and 22 percent international members.

Norwegians invited to the Academy this year

The seven Norwegian film professionals invited this year represent a range of disciplines:

• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (actor) – invited based on Sentimental Value and Women in Oversized Men’s Shirts
• Ellen Ystehede (costume designer) – invited based on Sentimental Value and The Worst Person in the World
• Ingvil Giske (documentary) – invited based on the documentaries Ibelin and The Painter and the Thief. Giske is a producer. 
• Robert Stengård (documentary) – invited based on Ibelin and The Painter and the Thief. Stengård is an editor. 
• Andrea Berentsen Ottmar (producer) – invited based on Sentimental Value and The Worst Person in the World
• Maria Ekerhovd (producer) – invited based on Sentimental Value and The Ugly Stepsister
• Espen Nordahl (visual effects) – invited based on The Electric State and Sinners

Danish filmmaker Anne Cathrine Sauerberg, who was responsible for makeup and hair on The Ugly Stepsister, has been invited to join the Academy on the basis of The Ugly Stepsister and The Girl with the Needle. Polish composer Hania Rani has been invited to join the Academy on the basis of her music for Sentimental Value. 

Part of an Exclusive Club

The new members join a relatively small but highly accomplished group of Norwegian filmmakers already in the Academy. These include names such as Liv Ullmann, Renate Reinsve, Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, Morten Tyldum, and Torill Kove. Technical professionals such as sound designers Gisle Tveito and Christian Schaanning, producer Lise Fearnley, and cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen are also among the members.
Membership in the Academy is by invitation only and not through application. Oscar nominees are automatically considered.