The European Film Academy welcomed a record 462 new members, including American-Italian actor Willem Dafoe, Austrian director Marie Kreutzer and Mia Bays, head of the BFI Film Fund.
The new members were announced today, May 9, on Europe Day, a day promoted by the European Union to celebrate peace and unity in Europe.
Members of the European Film Academy are invited to join the organization once a year. it currently has 4,600 members in 52 countries.
Dafoe, who is known for roles in films including Platoon, Spiderman and The Florida project, was born in the US but qualifies as a European through his Italian citizenship. He is also married to an Italian and splits his time between the US and Italy. Kreutzer has directed six feature films, including the historical drama Corsage. It debuted at Un Certain Regard in Cannes last year, where Vicky Krieps won best performance, before picking up several best actress awards, including the European Film Awards.
Other newcomers include Germany-based Brazilian director Karim Ainouz. Belgian Michiel Dhont, who produced his brother Lukas Dhont’s films Girl and Shut up; Italian Small body director Laura Samani; Serbia Jasna Duricic, star of Quo Vadis, Aida?; and Polish soldier Jerzy Skolimowski.
50% of new members are female, with 49% male and 1% identifying as non-binary. Germany has the most new members with 68, with 38 from France, 37 from Switzerland, 36 from Poland, 33 from Italy, 24 from Spain, 28 from the United Kingdom and 26 from Ukraine.
One fifth of new members are under 36 years old. with the European Film Academy also wants to increase the number of craftsmen in its organization, including editors, production designers, sound designers, compositors, hair and make-up artists and costume designers.
The Academy was founded in 1988 on the occasion of the first European Film Awards and was initially limited to a maximum number of 99 members. It has increased its membership by 20% since 2020. Upcoming activities include the launch of the European Film Club for young audiences in autumn 2023.
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