Academy CEO touts global Oscars at Tokyo festival panel

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is pushing to make the Oscars more global, its CEO Bill Kramer said Wednesday at the Tokyo International Film Festival, according to hollywoodreporter.com. Kramer told a festival panel that about 25 percent of Academy members now live outside the U.S., up from 5 percent a decade ago, and that the Academy has roughly 70 Japanese members, a number he expects to grow.

Kramer said every category at the most recent Oscars included international representation, best picture among them. He also said the Oscars will be available free on YouTube in two years, reaching 2.5 billion people in more than 30 languages.

New route for festival winners

The Academy used the Tokyo panel to outline a new festival-winner pathway into the best international feature film race, beginning with the 99th Academy Awards. The six qualifying festivals and awards are Cannes (Palme d'Or), Venice (Golden Lion), Berlin (Golden Bear), Busan (Busan Award for best film), Sundance (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize) and Toronto (Platform Award). Kramer was asked twice whether Tokyo would be added to that list, and said the Academy is looking to expand the universe of qualifying festivals.

The Academy brought a delegation to the 39th edition of the Tokyo festival that included president Lynette Howell Taylor and Meredith Shea. The panel was moderated by Tokyo festival director Takeo Hisamatsu.

The Academy's YouTube agreement, announced earlier, gives YouTube exclusive global rights to the Oscars from 2029 through 2033, with ABC's final telecast set for 2028.