The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has issued 842 invitations to new members, the Oscar-granting body announced today. And one of those invited to join the entertainment industry’s prestigious list of creatives is Yellow Springs filmmaker Steven Bognar. Steve shared with us he got an email today about 2:20pm and the subject line read: “Welcome to The Academy Steven Bognar.”
We asked him what it meant to get that invite and here’s what he had to say:
“It’s incredibly meaningful to me, working in documentaries for 35 years, making films for 4o years when I started out running around Beavercreek with a super 8 camera with my friends. It’s such a great honor and so many filmmakers who I deeply respect are in The Academy and it’s such an honor to be amongst them.”
The Academy has 17 branches, for the crafts ranging from Actors to Writers, and two categories, Members-at-Large and Associates to accommodate individuals who work in motion picture production but do not fit into one of the branches. The Academy’s membership process is by sponsorship, not application. Candidates must be sponsored by two Academy members from the branch to which the candidate seeks admission. After the two sponsors have completed the online process, the proposed candidate will receive an email requesting additional information. Once completed, the Member Relations and Awards Department will be in touch if any additional information is required. Each candidate who receives a favorable endorsement from the appropriate Branch Executive Committee is then submitted to the Board of Governors for final approval and invitation to membership.
Adding the class this year will bring the membership to 9,000 artists and professionals who bring the magic of the movies to life. They are the men and women who transport audiences to galaxies far away and to worlds long ago and who create the previously unimagined for the big screen. They are the entertainment industry’s preeminent filmmakers. They are Academy members. And now Steve joins his filmmaking partner Julia Reichert , as a member of the hallowed Academy. Ms Reichert became an Academy member in 2010.
Also invited this year is former Wright State Motion Pictures Professor Chinonye Chukwu. Other Miami Valley members of The Academy include Dave Chapelle, Hannah Beachler and Allison Janey
For more information and the complete list of new member, click here.
Look for a Dayton debut this August of Bognar and Reichert’s latest film American Factory, which the Tribeca Film Festival describes as “a wry look at what happens when America’s economic vulnerability comes toe-to-toe with a new era of ambitious Chinese expansion.” An award winner at The Sundance Film Festival, the documentary is enjoying rave reviews on the film festival circuit.
