Other MENA artists on the list are Ossama Bawardi and Iraqi-Dutch filmmaker Mohamed Al Daradji.
British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi and Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania are set to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences alongside 395 of their peers.
Membership selection decisions are based on professional qualifications, with “representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority”, as part of the Academy Aperture 2025, an ongoing initiative to address institutionalised inequity within the organisation.
The 2021 invitees are made up of 46% women, 39% underrepresented racial communities and 53% international, with the chosen hailing from 49 countries outside the US. Among them are 89 Oscar nominees and 25 winners.
Nabulsi directed Oscar-nominated The Present while Ben Hania directed Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin.
Fellow regional names on the list include film producer Ossama Bawardi (The Present and Haneen) and Iraqi-Dutch filmmaker Mohamed Al-Daradji (The Journey and Sons of Babylon).
Other names include Robert Pattinson (Tenet, The Lighthouse), Andra Day (The United States vs Billie Holiday, Cars 3) and Steven Yeun (Minari, Burning). Janet Jackson, HER, Henry Golding, Hugh Bonneville, Laverne Cox and Issa Rae are also on the list. Andra Day in The United States vs Billie Holiday, a performance that netted her the Best Actress trophy at the 2021 Golden Globes.
