The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted today to make the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch two distinct branches–the Animation Branch and the Short Films Branch.
The Animation Branch represents approximately 700 Academy members working within every aspect of the animation industry. The branch will have two governor representatives on the Board of Governors and oversee the Animated Feature Film and Animated Short Film awards.
The Short Films Branch comprises more than 200 Academy members whose artistic work encompasses both narrative and nonfiction short filmmaking. The branch will have one governor representative on the Board of Governors to be elected for a term starting in the 2024-2025 fiscal year and oversee the Live Action Short Film award.
“The Academy is dedicated to advancing and evolving with our growing global membership and with the film industry,” shared Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang in a joint statement. “Creating distinct identities for these unique and vital components of our cinema community is part of this needed progress.”
Academy Short Films and Feature Animation Branch governors Bonnie Arnold, Jinko Gotoh and Marlon West issued a joint statement which read, “As both the Academy’s shorts and animation communities have grown, and to ensure they continue to thrive, the need for two individual branches became increasingly apparent. We’re excited about the future of these two branches and thank our fellow governors for their support.”
The Academy now comprises 19 branches representing all facets of the film industry. The Board of Governors will remain at its current size of 55 members.
The Short Subjects Branch was initially created in 1941 and was renamed the Short Films Branch in 1974. In 1995, the branch was renamed the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch. The Animated Feature Film award category was established in 2001.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More