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The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a
professional honorary organization composed of over 6,000 motion
picture artists and craftsmen and women. The purposes of the
Academy are to advance the arts and sciences of motion pictures;
foster cooperation
among creative leaders for cultural, educational and
technological progress; recognize outstanding achievements;
cooperate on technical research and improvement of methods and
equipment; provide a common forum and meeting ground for various
branches and crafts; represent the viewpoint of actual creators
of the motion picture; and foster educational activities between
the professional community and the public-at-large.
The Academy's field of activity does not
include economic, labor, or political matters.
The Academy was organized in May, 1927, as a
nonprofit corporation chartered under the laws of California.
Its original 36 members included production executives and film
luminaries of the time.
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was the first
president. Others have been William deMille, M. C. Levee, Conrad
Nagel, J. Theodore Reed, Frank Lloyd, Frank Capra, Walter Wanger,
Bette Davis, Jean Hersholt, Charles Brackett, George Seaton,
George Stevens, B. B. Kahane, Valentine Davies, Wendell Corey,
Arthur Freed, Gregory Peck, Daniel Taradash, Walter Mirisch,
Howard W. Koch, Fay Kanin, Gene Allen, Robert E. Wise, Richard
Kahn, Karl Malden and Arthur Hiller. In addition to serving in
the office since August 1997, current president Robert Rehme
served one term in 1992-93.
From its founding
until 1946, when it moved into a building in Hollywood, the
Academy occupied a number of rented offices. In December of
1975, the Academy dedicated its new seven-story headquarters at
8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
For the first time in
the organization's history, the Players Directory, the Margaret
Herrick Library, the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, its administrative
offices, and other facilities were all located under one roof.
Within a decade, however, the rapid growth of
the holdings of both the Herrick Library and the Film Archive
had necessitated the search for a new separate facility. In
1988, a 55-year lease was arranged with the City of Beverly
Hills for the conversion of its historic Waterworks building in
La Cienega Park into the new home of the Academy's film research
facilities, now known as the Center for Motion Picture Study.
Membership in the Academy is by invitation of
the Board of Governors and is limited to those who have achieved
distinction in the arts and sciences of motion pictures. Some of
the criteria for admittance are: film credits of a caliber that
reflect the high standards of the Academy, receipt of an Academy
Award nomination, achievement of unique distinction, earning of
special merit, or making of an outstanding contribution to film.
Members represent 13 branches -- Actors, Art
Directors, Cinematographers, Directors, Executives, Film
Editors, Music, Producers, Public Relations, Short Films and
Feature Animation, Sound, Visual Effects, and Writers. In early
2001, the Academy's Board of Governers approved the creation of
a 14th branch for documentarian members of the Academy.
A candidate for membership in the Academy must
first receive the favorable endorsement of the appropriate
branch executive committee before his or her name is submitted
to the Board of Governors for its approval. The Board of
Governors also may invite to membership members-at-large and
associate members.
Members-at-large are those engaged in theatrical film
production, but for whose craft there is no separate branch.
They have all the privileges of branch membership except for
representation on the Board.
Associate members are those closely allied to
the industry but not actively engaged in motion picture
production. They are not represented on the Board and do not
vote on Academy Awards.
Life members are designated by unanimous vote
of the Board of Governors and have full privileges of
membership, but pay no dues.
Corporate management, control, and general
policies are administered by the Board of Governors. This group
consists of three representatives from each of the 13 Academy
craft branches. Governors are elected for three-year terms, with
one representative from each branch being elected annually. This
method assures a continuity of experience from year to year. The
new Documentarians Branch will have one Governor.
Officers are elected from the Board for
one-year terms. They include a president, first vice president,
two vice presidents, treasurer, and secretary. No member of the
Board of Governors may serve more than three consecutive
three-year terms and no officer may serve more than four
consecutive one-year terms in the same office.
Administrative activities of the Academy are
conducted under the supervision of an executive director who is
appointed by the Board of Governors. Bruce Davis, Executive
Director since 1989, and his staff of 153 conduct the day-to-day
business of the Academy.
The operating revenues of the Academy are
obtained from membership dues, rental of its theater to film
companies for previews and other special screenings, publication
of the Players Directory, the sale of rights to televise the
annual Academy Awards Presentation, and from other special
programs
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