Academy CEO Bill Kramer Makes the Case for a More Global Oscars at Tokyo Film Festival
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Bill Kramer has hinted that the Tokyo International Film Festival could be added to the festivals whose prize-winning films qualify for the international feature Oscar. The possibility matters because Tokyo was omitted from the new pathway, while regional rival Busan was included, drawing concern from people involved in the Japanese festival.
The Academy’s new route begins with the 99th Academy Awards and allows eligible non-English-language films to qualify by winning designated prizes at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Busan, Sundance or Toronto, alongside the existing national selection system. Speaking in Tokyo, Kramer also said 25 per cent of Academy members now live outside the US, up from 5 per cent a decade ago, and that about 70 members are Japanese. From 2029 to 2033, YouTube is due to show the Oscars live and free worldwide in more than 30 languages.
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In short
- Kramer hinted Tokyo may join the festivals qualifying films for the international feature Oscar.
- The new pathway includes six festivals, including Busan, but not Tokyo.
- The Academy says a global YouTube stream will begin in 2029.
How this story developed
- 1 hour ago Academy CEO Bill Kramer said at the Tokyo International Film Festival that the Oscars are working to become more global, with more international members and broader access to the ceremony.
- 1 hour ago Bill Kramer has hinted that the Tokyo International Film Festival could be added to the festivals whose prize-winning films qualify for the international feature Oscar.
Full account
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chief executive Bill Kramer used an appearance at the Tokyo International Film Festival to argue that the Oscars should better reflect the international film industry and audience. He described a decade-long change in the Academy’s membership: about a quarter of members now live outside the United States, compared with roughly 5 to 6 per cent ten years ago. The Academy has around 70 members in Japan, Kramer said, and he expects that figure to rise.
Kramer linked the broader membership to a wider view of what belongs in the Oscars. He said every category at the most recent ceremony had international representation, including best picture, and pointed to the 2020 win for Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite as a turning point in perceptions of global cinema’s place in the awards. Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor described efforts to find filmmakers in countries that may be underrepresented, including through committees in each branch. She said the growth in membership had not lowered the bar: in her view, the Academy had previously been less global in where it looked for excellence.
The leaders also presented international visits and local events as part of that outreach. Kramer said the Academy had recently visited cities including London, Rio de Janeiro, Morelia, Marrakech and Busan, and called the Tokyo appearance its first official visit to the festival. He said similar gatherings would continue in cities around the world. Howell Taylor said conversations with filmmakers at festivals and member events fed back into the board’s work. The festival presented Kramer with its Global Cinema Leadership Special Award.
The Academy’s planned move of the Oscars to YouTube was another part of Kramer’s case for wider access. Under the agreement, YouTube will hold exclusive global rights from 2029 to 2033, after ABC’s final broadcast in 2028. Kramer said the ceremony would be free to watch worldwide and available in more than 30 languages, describing the arrangement as a way for viewers to watch at the same time and in the same format. The change has also been controversial, though the reports focus chiefly on the Academy’s stated rationale for it. The Tokyo discussion additionally touched on a new route for festival winners to enter the best international feature Oscar race, starting with the 99th Academy Awards.
The reports share the central message that the Academy wants to become more international, but their emphasis varies. One foregrounds the contrast between that ambition and the US’s increasingly isolationist political climate, and gives particular attention to the YouTube deal and the festival-winner pathway. The other offers more detail on how the Academy recruits members, including the Aperture committees and targeted country outreach, and includes Howell Taylor’s response to concerns that a larger membership could weaken standards. It also reports Kramer’s award and quotes the leaders on how festival conversations inform the Academy’s work.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The first report frames the Academy’s global ambitions against the US political climate and stresses the YouTube agreement and new festival pathway. The second focuses more on recruitment methods and member qualifications, and adds Kramer’s festival award and Howell Taylor’s account of how international conversations shape board work.
The first gives the international membership share as 5 per cent a decade ago; the second gives the earlier figure as 5 to 6 per cent. Both report it is now 25 per cent. The first says Kramer expects Japan’s roughly 70 members to increase; the second reports the current figure without that expectation.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A more global Academy and wider access to the ceremony could make the Oscars more representative of world cinema and easier for audiences everywhere to watch. International membership, nominations across categories and free multilingual streaming may help the awards connect with filmmakers and viewers beyond the US.
The case against
Expanding international membership and access does not by itself ensure that films from different countries receive equal recognition or influence within the Academy. Streaming through a major platform and selecting only six festivals as qualifying routes may also concentrate gatekeeping power, while leaving some film communities feeling overlooked.
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