The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has launched a $500 million fundraising drive, pegged to the upcoming centenary of the Oscars.
Named Academy100 — forward of the a hundredth Oscars ceremony, set for 2028 — the drive is meant to diversify funds for the group, which performs a key function in fostering new filmmakers and preserving films, in addition to handing out the annual Academy Awards.
It comes at a time when viewership of the Oscars has drastically shrunk, and because the Academy’s profitable, long-standing broadcast take care of ABC for the ceremony telecast is nearing its finish.
“The Academy will soon enter its second century, and we want to ensure that we continue to be the preeminent leader of our international film community,” mentioned Academy CEO Bill Kramer, in an announcement.
“Like all healthy organizations, the Academy needs a sustainable and diverse base of support,” he added.
Sponsors have already dedicated greater than $100 million to the marketing campaign, the Academy mentioned.
The Academy’s members — there are round 10,000 — are invited to affix based mostly on their filmmaking achievements. They vary from administrators and producers to A-list actors and visible results artists.
Membership has develop into more and more worldwide and numerous lately. Academy100 is meant to “deepen our worldwide reach and impact,” mentioned Kramer.
The group additionally launched the favored Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in 2021.
But regardless of a slight latest uptick in viewership, audiences for the all-important Oscars ceremony stay properly under historic ranges.
Some 21 million tuned on this yr to see “Oppenheimer” fend off rivals akin to “Barbie” to win the best-picture award. Just a decade in the past, audiences repeatedly topped 40 million.
© 2024 AFP