2011 Jun 19

Jennifer gets invitation for Motion Picture Academy

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday it was extending membership invitations to 178 actors, directors, executives and others, including Ellen Page, Anthony Mackie, Russell Brand, Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lawrence.

“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” Academy President Tom Sherak said in a statement.  “Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks.”

The group said that its membership policies would have allowed up to 211 new members in 2011 but that several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership has held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.

In an unprecedented gesture, documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in Libya in April, was listed among the invitees.  Hetherington was an Oscar nominee this year for his film “Restrepo.” The Documentary Branch proposed that his name be included among the 2011 invitees, and the governors agreed.

Read on for the full list of invitees.