Lady Gaga leads surge in women admitted to become Oscar voters

LOS ANGELES - Women accounted for half of the Hollywood royalty admitted to the Oscars-awarding film academy this year, it said on Monday (July 1), with Lady Gaga among those invited.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issues a single round of invitations annually, and has significantly boosted its female and ethnic minority intake in recent times due to criticism over its mainly white, male membership.

The board of governors three years ago vowed to double the number of women and non-white members by 2020, following calls to boycott the glitzy Oscars and a social media backlash under the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.

Invitations to 842 people announced on Monday included leading women such as Claire Foy, Elisabeth Moss and Lady Gaga - who won best original song for A Star Is Born.

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It is the first time an annual intake has reached 50 per cent female.

Following the latest admissions, the overall proportion of female academy members will rise to 32 per cent, from one-quarter in 2015.

Just below one-third admitted were people of colour.

The recruits include Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu, Roma actress Marina de Tavira, and Black Panther cast members Sterling K. Brown and Letitia Wright.

In the world of music, singers Adele and Annie Lennox and producer Mark Ronson are among those selected for their work on movie scores.

Invitations were sent to members from 59 countries, adding to the academy's increasingly global flavour.