Academy CEO Bill Kramer Says ‘Parasite’ Win Was a Pivot as Oscars Push Global in Tokyo

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences plans to keep taking the Oscars global, from recruiting members in underrepresented countries to streaming the ceremony free on YouTube. Academy leaders outlined that strategy in Tokyo, where CEO Bill Kramer said the share of members living outside the U.S. has grown from around 5% to 25% in a decade.

Kramer spoke on an Academy in Tokyo panel at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor and chief membership, impact and industry officer Meredith Shea joined him, and festival director Hisamatsu Takeo moderated. The festival also presented Kramer with its Global Cinema Leadership Special Award.

A Membership That Looks Beyond the U.S.

Kramer described the membership shift as part of a push for a more diverse and inclusive Academy. A decade ago, he said, only 5% to 6% of members lived outside the U.S. The Academy now counts about 70 members in Japan.

A decade ago, he said, only 5% to 6% of members were based outside the U.S. “Now it’s 25%, and that number is growing.”

Kramer tied the change to how audiences and filmmakers behave around the world. He argued that the Academy has to keep pace with a film culture that no longer stays within national borders.

“People are making movies around the world, people are watching films that are not in their native language more and more,” Kramer said. “We’re making movies everywhere, we’re viewing movies in a much more nimble and accessible way, and the Academy needs to reflect that.”

‘Parasite’ as a Turning Point

Kramer pointed out that every category at the most recent Oscars had international representation, including best picture. He then looked back to Bong Joon Ho’s 2020 best picture winner, Parasite, as the moment that changed the conversation inside the Academy.

“Of course, everybody remembers the moment when ‘Parasite’ won. It was sort of a pivot, a shift, I think, in our thinking about what was possible with global cinema at the Oscars, and that continues,” he said, referring to Bong Joon Ho’s 2020 best picture winner.

That framing matters because it links the Academy’s membership strategy to what audiences see on the Oscar stage. Kramer presented the growth in international members and the recognition of international films as two parts of the same effort.

How the Academy Finds New Members

Howell Taylor explained how the Academy identifies filmmakers abroad. Oscar nominees receive automatic consideration, and existing members can sponsor candidates. Beyond those routes, each branch has an Aperture committee charged with finding filmmakers around the world.

“And each year, we have very specific focus for countries that are potentially underrepresented,” she said.

During the audience Q&A, Howell Taylor addressed the question of whether a bigger membership lowers the bar. She rejected that idea and argued that the earlier, smaller membership reflected a narrower search.

Howell Taylor said: “Just because the membership has increased does not mean that the qualifications have somehow decreased. Our membership was smaller because we were not as global, and we weren’t looking for excellence in filmmakers as much outside of the U.S.”

City-by-City Events Around the World

The Academy has also taken its member events on the road. Over the past couple of years, it has visited India, London, Rio, Morelia, Marrakech and Busan. Tokyo now joins that list, and Kramer signaled the trips will continue.

“We’re thrilled to be here in Tokyo, and you’ll be seeing us do that more and more,” Kramer said, adding that the Academy’s city-by-city member events will continue “all over the world.”

Taken together, the remarks show an organization that treats global reach as a core goal rather than a side project. The Academy is recruiting more members abroad, holding events in cities across several continents, and offering its ceremony free on YouTube. Kramer and Howell Taylor both framed those steps as a response to how people make and watch movies today.

What the Tokyo Panel Signals

The Tokyo appearance gave the Academy’s leadership a public stage to connect those threads. The jump from roughly 5% international membership to 25% sits at the center of the message, and Kramer stressed that the number keeps rising. Howell Taylor added that the Academy applies the same standard of excellence wherever it looks for filmmakers.

For Japan’s film community, the presence of the Academy’s top executives at the festival underscored the country’s place in that outreach. The organization counts about 70 members there, and it chose the Tokyo International Film Festival as a venue for explaining its direction. Kramer’s own award from the festival, honoring global cinema leadership, reinforced the theme of the day.

Whether the Academy keeps widening its reach will depend on the follow-through its leaders promised in Tokyo. For now, they say the strategy is set: more members in more countries, more events in more cities, and an Oscars broadcast that more viewers can reach.