Film Academy Announces Newly-Appointed Leaders of Committees and Affinity Groups, Including Sean Baker and Rita Wilson
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences used its annual all-members meeting on Tuesday to unveil the newly appointed chairs and vice chairs who will lead its committees and affinity groups for the 2026-2027 term, including the first appointments to its new Academy Marquee Theater Committee. Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor and CEO Bill Kramer thanked the volunteers for their leadership, noting that the member-led structure helps advance the organisation's mission. All positions carry one-year terms, and the appointments span awards oversight, membership governance and industry outreach.
Among the notable names, director Sean Baker and producer Samantha Quan, the married couple behind Anora, will co-chair the new Academy Marquee Theater Committee, which recommends cinemas for inclusion on the Academy's official theatre list. Rita Wilson takes over as chair of the Actors Branch Executive Committee, while other appointments include Michèle Ohayon and James Wilson co-chairing the International Feature Film Executive Committee, and Darin Grant and Rachel Rose leading the Scientific and Technical Awards Executive Committee, alongside numerous other branch and category leaders overseeing eligibility, membership and awards rules.
- Academy names new committee chairs and vice chairs for 2026-2027
- Sean Baker and Samantha Quan to co-chair new Marquee Theater Committee
- Rita Wilson named chair of Actors Branch Executive Committee
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Since 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) – the body behind the Oscars – has run much of its work through member-led branches, committees and affinity groups. These volunteer bodies handle things like deciding award eligibility rules, overseeing membership and category standards, and representing different parts of the film industry, from actors to sound technicians to international filmmakers.
Each year the Academy refreshes the leadership of these groups, appointing chairs and vice chairs to one-year terms. These roles are unpaid, held by working members of the industry, and sit below the Academy's paid staff and elected Board of Governors, but they shape how the organisation runs day to day, including how films and craftspeople qualify for consideration in various Oscar categories.
The Academy is led by president Lynette Howell Taylor and chief executive Bill Kramer. The people taking on these committee roles, including filmmakers such as Sean Baker and actress Rita Wilson, are notable industry figures who are already Academy members, giving the appointments visibility even though the positions themselves are largely administrative rather than public-facing.
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