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The wait is over… The Academy has just announced the long-awaited Oscar recognition for an essential department in the industry.
A Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made up of around 11,000 members from 93 countries, revealed its nominations for the 23 categories of the 2024 Oscars on January 23rd. In an announcement made today (February 8), the Board of Governors of the Film Academy has just revealed that from 2026 we could be talking about not just 23 categories, but 24.
At the 98th Oscar ceremony, which will honor the films released in 2025, it will no longer only be the actors, filmmakersdirectors of photography, screenwriters, among others, opening up space for recognition that has long been requested by the industry.
The fight for recognition of directors of cast dates back to the late 1990s, when there was a strong push to add casting to the award categories. However, as it did not have widespread support at the time, it did not come to fruition.
Since then, the Academy has been promising that this department’s moment, underestimated by the industry, would come, founding its own sector in 2013, which now has around 160 members. This will be the first category to be introduced by the Oscars since Best Animated Filmwhich came into force in the 74th edition of the ceremony, held in 2002.
AFTER CASTING, WILL THE TIME COME FOR RECOGNITION OF THE DOUBLES?
In a statement, Bill KramerCEO of the Academy, and Janet Yangthe president of the Academy, celebrated the introduction of the “Best Casting“, saying that “Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the categories we recognize and celebrate (…) We congratulated our members of the Casting Directors Branch for this exciting milestone and for your commitment and diligence throughout this process.”
The governors of the department of Casting of the Academy, Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Colman and Debra Zane, issued a joint statement: “On behalf of the members of the Casting Directors, we would like to thank the Board of Governors, the Awards Committee, and the Academy leadership for their support. This award is well-deserved recognition of the exceptional talents of our casting directors and a testament to the dedicated efforts of our section.”
Now that the Academy has confirmed the introduction of Best Casting from 2026, the next step concerns the recognition of Best Stunts. Last year, Chad Stahelski (“John Wick 4”) had already stated that there were ongoing discussions within the Academy for the recognition of this sector, which has significant support from Hollywood.
In March 2023, the Academy created the Production and Technology Department, comprised of key technical and production positions in all phases of film design, from pre-production to post-production in Hollywood. Typically, it takes around ten years from the creation of a committee to the introduction of a new category.
And you, do you believe that recognizing casting work was essential for the Oscars?
